Also called: Instrument Maker, Violin Maker
Builds and repairs guitars, violins, cellos, and other stringed instruments by hand.
You carve a violin top from spruce, tapping it to hear how it rings, then do setup and repairs for touring musicians in the afternoon.
Most luthiers earn modest incomes; famous builders' instruments sell for tens of thousands.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Apprenticeship, about 5 years after high school. Lutherie school (several months to 3 years) or a long apprenticeship with a master builder.
Ways in: Trade school, Apprenticeship, Self-taught. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Lutherie (trade school), Musical Instrument Technology, Woodworking.
Growing slowly. No separate BLS projection for this specialty; rating is an estimate based on industry trends.
Low risk for 10 years. CNC carves some guitar parts, but hand-built and repaired instruments depend on a craftsperson's ear and eye.
Classes: Woodshop, Music, Physics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 49-9063.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.