Career
Carpet installers
Install carpet.
$50,340
Median pay
-16.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
700
Openings a year
No formal educational credential
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Plan the layout of the carpet, allowing for expected traffic patterns and placing seams for best appearance and longest wear.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Monitoring, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Quality Control Analysis.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though short-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $50,340 a year and 700 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Carpet, Floor, and Tile WorkerCIP 46.0413
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles$56,460 · +9.0%
- Tile and Stone Setters$55,690 · +9.8%
- Floor Sanders and Finishers$50,440 · +1.4%
- Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall$49,120 · +2.4%
- Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers$58,930 · +2.5%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.