Carpet Installers

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$50,340

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$41,970 – $66,320

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

13,780

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

-16.4%

Shrinking (below 0%)

Openings a year (projected)

700

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

No formal educational credential

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Lay and install carpet from rolls or blocks on floors. Install padding and trim flooring materials.

Main tasks

• Plan the layout of the carpet, allowing for expected traffic patterns and placing seams for best appearance and longest wear.
• Join edges of carpet and seam edges where necessary, by sewing or by using tape with glue and heated carpet iron.
• Cut carpet padding to size and install padding, following prescribed method.
• Cut and trim carpet to fit along wall edges, openings, and projections, finishing the edges with a wall trimmer.
• Stretch carpet to align with walls and ensure a smooth surface, and press carpet in place over tack strips or use staples, tape, tacks or glue to hold carpet in place.
• Roll out, measure, mark, and cut carpeting to size with a carpet knife, following floor sketches and allowing extra carpet for final fitting.
• Nail tack strips around area to be carpeted or use old strips to attach edges of new carpet.
• Inspect the surface to be covered to determine its condition, and correct any imperfections that might show through carpet or cause carpet to wear unevenly.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

No formal educational credential

Training once hired: short-term on-the-job training

O*NET Job Zone 1–2

Little to some preparation

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 1 programme to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles

  $56,460 median · +9% projected

• Tile and Stone Setters

  $55,690 median · +9.8% projected

• Floor Sanders and Finishers

  $50,440 median · +1.4% projected

• Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall

  $49,120 median · +2.4% projected

• Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers

  $58,930 median · +2.5% projected

• Furniture Finishers

  $44,540 median · -3.5% projected