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Carpenters vs Sheet Metal Workers

Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index

A factual, source-backed comparison of Carpenters and Sheet Metal Workers on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”

Carpenters Sheet Metal Workers
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$59,310
$60,850
Employment · BLS OEWS
697,740
117,470
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
13th pct
16th pct

At a glance

Dimension Carpenters Sheet Metal Workers
Median pay $59,310 $60,850
Employment 697,740 117,470
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection About average (+4.5%) About average (+2.4%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 74,100 10,600
Typical education · O*NET Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
AI exposure · published exposure studies Low · 13th pct Low · 16th pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 11th pct · 13% of tasks 35th pct · 21% of tasks
Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index — Automation-leaning (63.8%)
Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman No No

Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.

Skills

Shared: Building and Construction, Administration and Management, Mathematics, Problem Sensitivity, Visualization, Design, Manual Dexterity, Finger Dexterity, Near Vision, Engineering and Technology, Deductive Reasoning, Information Ordering, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Trunk Strength, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Multilimb Coordination, Static Strength, Mechanical, Coordination, Inductive Reasoning, Education and Training, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Category Flexibility, Selective Attention, Control Precision, Mathematics, Judgment and Decision Making.

Specific to Carpenters

  • Public Safety and Security
  • Far Vision
  • Quality Control Analysis
  • Reaction Time
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Physics
  • Active Learning
  • Complex Problem Solving

Specific to Sheet Metal Workers

  • English Language
  • Written Comprehension
  • Flexibility of Closure
  • Production and Processing
  • Time Management
  • Mathematical Reasoning
  • Number Facility
  • Perceptual Speed

Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).

Tools & technology

Shared: Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Operating system software , Word processing software , Computer aided design CAD software .

Specific to Carpenters

Specific to Sheet Metal Workers

Full profiles

This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Carpenters or Sheet Metal Workers — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.

More comparisons

Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Carpenters vs Sheet Metal Workers." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/carpenters-vs-sheet-metal-workers

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Carpenters vs Sheet Metal Workers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/carpenters-vs-sheet-metal-workers

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-carpenters-vs-sheet-metal-workers,
  title  = {Carpenters vs Sheet Metal Workers},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/compare/carpenters-vs-sheet-metal-workers}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.