Occupation salary profile

Paperhangers

SOC 47-2142 BLS OEWS May 2025

Cover interior walls or ceilings of rooms with decorative wallpaper or fabric, or attach advertising posters on surfaces such as walls and billboards. May remove old materials or prepare surfaces to be papered.

National median · BLS
$52,140
▲ +8.04% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$53,730
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
1,570
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Paperhangers

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay$36,020
25th$44,890
Median (50th)$52,140
75th$60,180
90th — top pay$69,050

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Paperhangers

BLS projects employment of paperhangers to grow 4.3% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 200 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
2,300 → 2,400
+100 jobs
Projected change
+4.3%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
200
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
No formal educational credential
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
32.1% 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.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need no formal education →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Paperhangers

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Active Listening3.0
  • Coordination3.0
  • Speaking3.0
  • Critical Thinking2.9
  • Time Management2.9
  • Complex Problem Solving2.8
  • Judgment and Decision Making2.8
  • Monitoring2.8
  • Social Perceptiveness2.6
  • Operation and Control2.4
Top knowledge areas
  • Customer and Personal Service3.7
  • Building and Construction3.5
  • Mathematics3.3
  • Mechanical3.0
  • Administration and Management3.0
  • Public Safety and Security3.0
  • English Language3.0
  • Design2.9
Software and technology used
Google DocsMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft WordA-Systems JobViewConstruction Software Center EasyEstCorel PainterElectronic data interchange EDI softwareOn Center Quick BidPlanSwiftTurtle Creek Software Goldenseal

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 paperhangers do

  • Place strips or sections of paper on surfaces, aligning section edges and patterns.
  • Smooth strips or sections of paper with brushes or rollers to remove wrinkles and bubbles and to smooth joints.
  • Staple or tack advertising posters onto fences, walls, billboards, or poles.
  • Measure surfaces or review work orders to estimate the quantities of materials needed.
  • Check finished wallcoverings for proper alignment, pattern matching, and neatness of seams.
  • Smooth rough spots on walls and ceilings, using sandpaper.
  • Cover interior walls and ceilings of rooms with decorative wallpaper or fabric, using hand tools.
  • Trim rough edges from strips, using straightedges and trimming knives.
Also called
Bill PosterBillposterInstallerPaper HangerBill Board PosterHangerVinyl HangerWall Covering InstallerWallpaper HangerWallpaper Installer
More job titles for this occupation (6)
Bill Poster InstallerBillboard PosterPaperhanging Interior DecoratorVinyl InstallerWallpaper RemoverWallpaperer

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.