Carpet Installers
Lay and install carpet from rolls or blocks on floors. Install padding and trim flooring materials.
Also called: Carpet Installer · Carpet Layer · Carpet Mechanic · Commercial Floor Covering Installer · Floor Coverer · Floor Covering Installer
Median pay (national)
$49,850
$32,830–$83,200 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
14,980
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
-9.6%
~1,100 openings/yr
Typical entry
No formal educational credential
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for carpet installers shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $83,200 versus $32,830 at the bottom 10% — 2.5x. The median of $49,850 leaves roughly 67% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change -9.6% from 2024 to 2034 — a projected decline, against +3% across all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 1,100 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 47 states with released data, New Jersey pays the most for this role (median $107,850, +116% vs the national median), while Montana sits lowest at $27,940 — a 286% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Monitoring, Mathematics, Critical Thinking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Monitoring
- Mathematics
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
- Writing
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- 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.
- Roll out, measure, mark, and cut carpeting to size with a carpet knife, following floor sketches and allowing extra carpet for final fitting.
- Join edges of carpet and seam edges where necessary, by sewing or by using tape with glue and heated carpet iron.
- Cut and trim carpet to fit along wall edges, openings, and projections, finishing the edges with a wall trimmer.
- Plan the layout of the carpet, allowing for expected traffic patterns and placing seams for best appearance and longest wear.
- 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.
- Take measurements and study floor sketches to calculate the area to be carpeted and the amount of material needed.
- Install carpet on some floors using adhesive, following prescribed method.
- Clean up before and after installation, including vacuuming carpet and discarding remnant pieces.
- Measure, cut and install tackless strips along the baseboard or wall.
Tools & technology
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Aya Associates Comp-U-Floor
- Carpet Dealer Management System CDMS
- eTakeoff
- FIRST Flooring
- FloorCOST Estimator for Excel
- Flooring Technologies QFloors
- Focus Floor Covering Software
- Measure Square FloorEstimate Pro
- Pacific Solutions FloorRight
- RFMS Schedule Pro
- Textile Management Systems RollMaster
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Word
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mathematics
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Building and Construction
- Production and Processing
- Education and Training
- Mechanical