---
title: Is a Carpenters degree worth the debt?
cip: 4602
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

# Is a Carpenters degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Associate's**, across **8** colleges (8 of 8 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $29,765 ($26,585 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $12,000 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.40× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $27,462–$35,071 — the program you choose moves the number this much.


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Certificate | $32,006 | $7,521 | 0.28× | 6 | 6/6 |
| Associate's | $29,765 | $12,000 | 0.40× | 8 | 8/8 |

## Where a Associate's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ivy Tech Community College (IN) | $64,697 | — |
| Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology (PA) | $36,722 | $7,231 |
| Austin Community College District (TX) | $34,521 | $13,750 |
| Triangle Tech Inc-Greensburg | $29,765 | $12,000 |
| Triangle Tech Inc-Bethlehem | $29,765 | $12,000 |
| Triangle Tech Inc-Pittsburgh | $27,622 | $20,000 |
| Ranken Technical College (MO) | $26,984 | $12,000 |
| SUNY College of Technology at Delhi (NY) | $23,412 | — |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/carpenters.jsonld` · `/education/fields/carpenters.json`