Woodworking spans craft occupations, furniture manufacturing, machine operation, finishing and composite-wood production. The latest U.S. occupational data counted 199,900 woodworker jobs in 2025, while industry data separately counted 330.6 thousand furniture and related-product manufacturing employees in August 2026; those measures use different definitions and should not be combined.
Key Woodworking Statistics
The following figures summarize the main employment, labor-market, manufacturing, safety and exposure measures:
- In 2025, 199,900 woodworkers held jobs in the United States.
- In 2025, 81,800 U.S. jobs were held by cabinetmakers and bench carpenters.
- In 2025, 60,900 U.S. jobs were held by non-sawing woodworking machine setters, operators and tenders.
- In 2025, 41,200 U.S. jobs were held by sawing machine setters, operators and tenders.
- In 2025, 15,900 U.S. jobs were held by furniture finishers.
- In August 2026, 330.6 thousand people worked in U.S. furniture and related product manufacturing.
- In 2023, 2,075 employer establishments operated in U.S. nonupholstered wood household furniture manufacturing.
- From 2025 to 2035, overall U.S. woodworker employment is projected to decline 2%.
- During 2025–2035, about 18,100 woodworker openings are projected each year in the United States.
- In May 2025, the U.S. median woodworker wage was $45,310 per year.
- In May 2025, the lowest-paid 10% of U.S. woodworkers earned less than $33,280 annually.
- In May 2025, the highest-paid 10% of U.S. woodworkers earned more than $60,240 annually.
- In 2024, furniture and related product manufacturing recorded 3.5 total-recordable cases per 100 full-time U.S. workers.
- In 2024, furniture and related product manufacturing recorded 5 workplace fatalities in the United States.
- In a New Mexico survey published in 1996, 64% of 283 amateur and professional woodworkers reported a tool-use-associated injury.
- In that New Mexico survey, jointer-planers had 4.9 injuries per 1,000 person-hours of use.
- OSHA’s current U.S. nuisance total-dust limit is 15 mg/m³ as an 8-hour time-weighted average.
- NIOSH’s recommendation cited by OSHA is 1 mg/m³ for total wood-dust exposure.
- EPA’s U.S. formaldehyde emission standard is 0.11 ppm for medium-density fiberboard.
Contents
- Key Woodworking Statistics
- U.S. Woodworking Jobs and Occupational Scale
- Woodworking Employment Trends and Openings
- Furniture Manufacturing and Wood-Product Data
- Woodworking Wages, Hours and Workforce Mix
- Woodworking Injury and Ergonomic Statistics
- Wood Dust and Composite-Wood Exposure Limits
U.S. Woodworking Jobs and Occupational Scale
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) occupational definition counted 199,900 woodworkers in 2025. Its total includes detailed production and craft roles, but wage collection excludes some self-employed workers, so the occupational total is not a census of everyone who works with wood.
| Occupation | U.S. jobs, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters | 81,800 |
| Woodworking machine setters, operators and tenders except sawing | 60,900 |
| Sawing machine setters, operators and tenders | 41,200 |
| Furniture finishers | 15,900 |
Source: Woodworkers: Occupational Outlook Handbook. These are BLS occupational counts for the United States.
The same BLS source counted 56,210 cabinetmakers and bench carpenters within furniture and related product manufacturing in 2025. That industry-specific figure is narrower than the national occupation total and should not be presented as all cabinetmakers.
Woodworking Employment Trends and Openings
BLS projects overall U.S. woodworker employment to decline 2% from 2025 to 2035, from 199,900 jobs to a rounded 195,000. This is a forecast, not an observed outcome, and the projected decrease is 4,900 jobs.
The forecast also illustrates why a declining total can coexist with hiring opportunities: BLS projects about 18,100 openings per year during 2025–2035, mostly replacement openings associated with transfers and exits.
| Occupation | Projected change to 2035 | Projected jobs or outlook |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters | -3% | 79,400 jobs in 2035 |
| Furniture finishers | -3% | BLS projected decline |
| Sawing machine setters/operators/tenders | -1% | BLS projected decline |
| Non-sawing machine setters/operators/tenders | -3% | 59,400 jobs in 2035 |
Source: Woodworkers: Occupational Outlook Handbook. The figures are BLS projections for 2025–2035, not guarantees.
Furniture Manufacturing and Wood-Product Data
Industry statistics use NAICS 337, furniture and related product manufacturing, rather than the broader occupational category. BLS reported 330.6 thousand employees in August 2026, including 233.5 thousand production and nonsupervisory employees; the May 2026 production and nonsupervisory count was 235.9 thousand.
The U.S. Census profile for NAICS 337122 counted 2,075 employer establishments in nonupholstered wood household furniture manufacturing in 2023. Employer establishments exclude nonemployers, so this is a business-location measure rather than a count of all workshops or hobby operations.
| Furniture-industry measure | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Total employees | 330.6 thousand | August 2026 |
| Production and nonsupervisory employees | 233.5 thousand | August 2026 |
| Production and nonsupervisory employees | 235.9 thousand | May 2026 |
| Employer establishments, nonupholstered wood household furniture | 2,075 | 2023 |
Sources: Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing: NAICS 337 and 337122: Nonupholstered Wood Household Furniture Manufacturing.
Within furniture manufacturing in 2025, BLS counted 56,210 cabinetmakers and bench carpenters, 38,870 team assemblers and 10,110 furniture finishers. The team-assembler number is an industry occupation count, not a woodworking-only count.
Woodworking Wages, Hours and Workforce Mix
BLS reported a $45,310 median annual wage and a $21.79 median hourly wage for U.S. woodworkers in May 2025. The wage series excludes self-employed, agricultural and private-household workers from Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics collection.
| U.S. woodworking occupation | Median annual wage, May 2025 |
|---|---|
| All woodworkers | $45,310 |
| Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters | $46,680 |
| Furniture finishers | $44,540 |
| Non-sawing machine setters/operators/tenders | $43,380 |
| Sawing machine setters/operators/tenders | $42,770 |
Source: Woodworkers: Occupational Outlook Handbook. These are U.S. median wages, not guaranteed pay for an individual worker.
The distribution was broad: the lowest-paid 10% earned less than $33,280 annually, while the highest-paid 10% earned more than $60,240 in May 2025. In furniture manufacturing specifically, 2025 median annual wages were $46,470 for cabinetmakers and $45,440 for non-sawing woodworking machine setters, operators and tenders.
Furniture-industry hours provide a separate production context. In August 2026, all employees averaged 39.2 hours per week and production and nonsupervisory employees averaged 38.8 hours, both seasonally adjusted.
Woodworking Injury and Ergonomic Statistics
BLS recorded 7 workplace fatalities in furniture and related product manufacturing in 2023 and 5 in 2024. The industry’s 2024 total-recordable-case rate was 3.5 per 100 full-time workers, while cases involving days away, restriction or transfer were 2.1 per 100 full-time workers; these are industry rates, not woodworking-only rates.
The older research below is sample-specific and should not be generalized to all woodworkers. In a New Mexico survey of 283 amateur and professional woodworkers published in 1996, 64% reported a tool-use-associated injury.
| Tool or group | Result | Study population and period |
|---|---|---|
| Jointer-planers | 4.9 injuries per 1,000 person-hours | New Mexico woodworkers, survey published 1996 |
| Chisels and gouges | 3.3 injuries per 1,000 person-hours | New Mexico woodworkers, survey published 1996 |
| Drill presses | 3.1 injuries per 1,000 person-hours | New Mexico woodworkers, survey published 1996 |
Source: Tool-related injuries among amateur and professional woodworkers.
A separate 1998 survey of 522 active U.S. union carpenters found the highest specialty-specific prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal-disorder cases was 20%–24%. Among carpenters with at least 20 years in the trade, adjusted odds ratios were 3.2 for shoulder disorders, 3.1 for hand or wrist disorders and 3.5 for knee disorders; these are associations, not proof of causation, and the population is broader than woodworkers.
Source: Prevalence of work related musculoskeletal disorders in active union carpenters.
Wood Dust and Composite-Wood Exposure Limits
Workplace-air limits and composite-wood emission standards measure different things. OSHA’s current nuisance total-dust permissible exposure limit is 15 mg/m³ as an 8-hour time-weighted average, while the respirable-fraction limit is 5 mg/m³ on the same time basis.
| Guidance or standard | Limit | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| OSHA nuisance total dust | 15 mg/m³, 8-hour TWA | Workplace air |
| OSHA respirable nuisance dust | 5 mg/m³, 8-hour TWA | Respirable workplace air |
| NIOSH recommendation cited by OSHA | 1 mg/m³ total dust | Recommended workplace exposure |
| ACGIH western red cedar value | 0.5 mg/m³ | Species-specific workplace guidance |
Source: OSHA eTool: Woodworking – Production – Wood Dust. The NIOSH value is a recommendation, not OSHA’s enforceable nuisance-dust limit, and the western red cedar value is species-specific because of asthma effects.
OSHA recommends maintaining woodworking dust-collection duct velocity at 2,500–4,000 feet per minute for moving light dust, chips and shavings. This engineering-control guidance is distinct from an exposure measurement.
EPA’s TSCA Title VI standards regulate formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products. The hardwood plywood veneer-core and composite-core standards are each 0.05 ppm; the medium-density fiberboard standard is 0.11 ppm, thin-MDF is 0.13 ppm, and particleboard is 0.09 ppm.
| Composite-wood product | EPA formaldehyde standard |
|---|---|
| Hardwood plywood, veneer-core | 0.05 ppm |
| Hardwood plywood, composite-core | 0.05 ppm |
| Medium-density fiberboard | 0.11 ppm |
| Thin-MDF, thickness no greater than 8 mm | 0.13 ppm |
| Particleboard | 0.09 ppm |
Source: Frequent Questions for Consumers about the Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act. These ppm values are product-emission limits, not measured average workplace exposure.
Certification became required for regulated products manufactured or imported after March 22, 2019.