How much do cabinet makers make in 2026?
Cabinet makers are counted in the BLS cabinetmakers and bench carpenters series: OEWS May 2025 puts the SOC 51-7011 national median at $46,680 a year ($22.44 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $35,650 and the top 10% at $63,720. That is a notably compressed band — the top decile is below the median of several field trades — and the explanation is structural rather than about skill. Cabinet making is factory and shop work competing against imported and mass-produced casework, so shop rates are disciplined by product prices in a way that on-site trades are not. Within the band, the better-paid work is CNC programming and machine setup, solid-surface and specialty material fabrication, architectural millwork to drawings for commercial interiors, and installation — cabinet installers who template, scribe and fit on site are usually paid better than bench workers because the work cannot be shipped. The genuine upside in this trade is business ownership: custom shops selling design and fitted joinery to homeowners and architects escape the commodity price pressure entirely, and that income appears as business revenue rather than wages. Employment is projected to change by -1.6% through 2034 with roughly 8,100 openings a year. → Full cabinet maker career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $46,680 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Cabinet Makers earn a national median $46,680/yr ($22.44/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 51-7011); the P10 to P90 range is $35,650 to $63,720.
- Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters have a dedicated BLS series with a compressed band: a $46,680 median and a $63,720 top decile, lower than most field trades.
- The compression is structural — shop production competes with imported and mass-produced casework, which disciplines rates in a way that site-based trades avoid.
- The better-paid work is CNC programming and setup, architectural millwork to drawings, and on-site installation; the real upside is owning a custom shop, where income is business revenue rather than wages.
US Cabinet Maker Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do cabinet makers earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 51-7011; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 51-7011, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a cabinet maker earn at each career stage?
Cabinet making pay rises with machine and drawing skill and with moving toward installation or custom work. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 51-7011.
By State
Which states pay cabinet makers the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. Cabinet shop wages track regional manufacturing rates and the value of the local residential market: areas with high-end custom construction sustain shops that can pay above production rates, while regions competing directly with imported casework cannot.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($53,680), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay cabinet makers the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Metro premiums here mostly reflect architectural millwork for commercial interiors and high-end residential design work, which is where local shops retain pricing power against mass-produced product.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a cabinet maker’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does cabinet maker pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Cabinet Makers sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify cabinet maker wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a cabinet maker actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Cabinet Maker Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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