Upholsterers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$46,340
United States, 2025
Employment
20,140
United States, 2025
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Make, repair, or replace upholstery for household furniture or transportation vehicles.
- O*NET code
- 51-6093.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
Typical tasks
- Fit, install, and secure material on frames, using hand tools, power tools, glue, cement, or staples.
- Measure and cut new covering materials, using patterns and measuring and cutting instruments, following sketches and design specifications.
- Build furniture up with loose fiber stuffing, cotton, felt, or foam padding to form smooth, rounded surfaces.
- Make, restore, or create custom upholstered furniture, using hand tools and knowledge of fabrics and upholstery methods.
- Read work orders, and apply knowledge and experience with materials to determine types and amounts of materials required to cover workpieces.
- Examine furniture frames, upholstery, springs, and webbing to locate defects.
- Adjust or replace webbing, padding, or springs, and secure them in place.
- Sew rips or tears in material, or create tufting, using needles and thread.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$31,690
25th percentile
$37,340
75th percentile
$54,580
90th percentile
$63,770
Most important skills
- Critical Thinking3.5
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Speaking3.0
- Time Management3.0
- Complex Problem Solving3.0
- Active Listening3.0
- Active Learning3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Monitoring3.0
- Service Orientation2.9
- Operations Monitoring2.9
- Social Perceptiveness2.9
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 9 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
9
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | 3.5 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Active Listening | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Speaking | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $46,170
Compare with UpholsterersSupplemental
National median $43,380
Compare with UpholsterersSupplemental
National median $65,380
Compare with UpholsterersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | $65,140 | 120 | 2025 |
| Providence, RI | $63,360 | 50 | 2025 |
| RI | $63,360 | 30 | 2025 |
| Madison, WI | $60,800 | 40 | 2025 |
| Hickory, NC | $59,700 | 2,220 | 2025 |
| Bridgeport, CT | $59,270 | 50 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $57,610 | 170 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $57,560 | 50 | 2025 |
| HI | $57,390 | 30 | 2025 |
| WA | $55,970 | 200 | 2025 |
| Reno, NV | $53,750 | 40 | 2025 |
| ND | $52,420 | — | 2025 |
| Durham, NC | $51,060 | 70 | 2025 |
| CT | $50,870 | 210 | 2025 |
| GA | $50,760 | 780 | 2025 |
| NC | $50,600 | 4,050 | 2025 |
| Baltimore, MD | $50,590 | 90 | 2025 |
| MD | $50,270 | 200 | 2025 |
| LA | $49,920 | 80 | 2025 |
| NV | $49,880 | 220 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Upholsterers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.