Lay and install carpet from rolls or blocks on floors. Install padding and trim flooring materials. Excludes “Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles” (47-2042).
National median · BLS
$50,340
▲ +0.98%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$56,990
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
13,780
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Carpet Installers
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$35,450
25th
$41,970
Median (50th)
$50,340
75th
$66,320
90th — top pay
$82,140
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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⇄
Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Carpet Installers
BLS projects employment of carpet installers to decline 16.4% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%.
About 700 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
17,400 → 14,500
-2,800 jobs
Projected change
-16.4%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
700
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
No formal educational credential
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
21% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What carpet installers do
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.
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Carpet Installers, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $50,340.
