Carpet Installers Career, Salary and Skills
Carpet Installers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $50,340 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 13,780. Wage data is published for 83 locations.
Occupation description
Lay and install carpet from rolls or blocks on floors. Install padding and trim flooring materials.
O*NET code
47-2041.00
Job zone
2
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$50,340
Hourly median
$24.20
Employment
13,780
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Coordination | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Monitoring | 3.12 | 2.88 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.00 | 2.62 |
| Mathematics | 3.00 | 3.38 |
| Time Management | 3.00 | 2.38 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.88 | 2.25 |
| Active Listening | 2.88 | 2.12 |
| Speaking | 2.88 | 2.25 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.88 | 2.50 |
Typical tasks
- Cut and install vinyl composition tile or vinyl base.
- 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.
- Draw building diagrams and record dimensions.
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
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Word
- Pacific Solutions FloorRight
- RFMS Schedule Pro
Carpet Installers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Carpet Installers Salary in CAMedian $54,440 · Employment 2,270
- Carpet Installers Salary in TXMedian $43,610 · Employment 810
- Carpet Installers Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $54,080 · Employment 790
- Carpet Installers Salary in NVMedian $67,040 · Employment 710
- Carpet Installers Salary in NYMedian $52,160 · Employment 710
- Carpet Installers Salary in New York, NYMedian $64,590 · Employment 620
- Carpet Installers Salary in ILMedian $49,480 · Employment 580
- Carpet Installers Salary in FLMedian $48,580 · Employment 550
- Carpet Installers Salary in GAMedian $48,260 · Employment 530
- Carpet Installers Salary in ORMedian $57,800 · Employment 520
- Carpet Installers Salary in Las Vegas, NVMedian $54,850 · Employment 500
- Carpet Installers Salary in PAMedian $46,030 · Employment 490
Related careers
- Stone Cutters and Carvers, ManufacturingNational median $46,170
- Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and PlasticNational median $46,170
- Segmental PaversNational median not published
- GlaziersNational median $57,080
- Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble SettersNational median $47,550
- Cement Masons and Concrete FinishersNational median $57,020
- Brickmasons and BlockmasonsNational median $62,120
- RoofersNational median $55,440
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.