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Upholsterers: Career Overview
Make, repair, or replace upholstery for household furniture or transportation vehicles.
The Daily Work of Upholsterers Take On?
The core tasks performed by upholsterers span:
- 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.
Skills and Knowledge
Top upholsterers draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The abilities that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Aircraft Seat Upholsterer
- Arm Maker
- Arm Rest Builder
- Automobile Upholsterer (Auto Upholsterer)
- Automotive Upholsterer
- Body Trimmer Upholsterer
- Box Spring Upholsterer
- Car Seat Coverer
How Many Upholsterers Are There?
There are roughly 772,524 upholsterers working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +3.5% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Upholsterers Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $34,327 |
| Hourly median | $16.50 |
| 10th percentile | $20,702 |
| 25th percentile | $27,515 |
| 75th percentile | $41,139 |
| 90th percentile | $47,952 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Upholsterers Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Minnesota | $56,840 |
| Colorado | $55,990 |
| New Jersey | $55,290 |
| Washington | $51,610 |
| North Dakota | $51,370 |
| Nebraska | $51,240 |
| North Carolina | $50,140 |
| Iowa | $49,670 |
| Maryland | $49,510 |
| Georgia | $49,120 |
| New York | $49,020 |
| California | $47,840 |
| Massachusetts | $47,010 |
| Mississippi | $46,900 |
| South Carolina | $46,040 |
| Delaware | $46,030 |
| Connecticut | $46,020 |
| Wisconsin | $45,530 |
| Oregon | $44,930 |
| Arizona | $44,620 |
| Vermont | $44,270 |
| Nevada | $43,720 |
| Maine | $43,680 |
| Kentucky | $43,670 |
| Utah | $43,150 |
| Michigan | $43,120 |
| Florida | $42,540 |
| Oklahoma | $42,390 |
| Illinois | $42,290 |
| Arkansas | $41,890 |
| Louisiana | $41,600 |
| Idaho | $41,320 |
| Ohio | $40,400 |
| Tennessee | $40,380 |
| Kansas | $40,330 |
| Indiana | $40,040 |
| Missouri | $39,970 |
| Virginia | $39,310 |
| Pennsylvania | $39,150 |
| Montana | $38,190 |
| Alabama | $37,690 |
| Texas | $36,620 |
| Hawaii | $33,640 |
| Puerto Rico | $28,130 |
Where Upholsterers Earn the Most
Compensation for upholsterers vary by region. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mountains | $49,683 | 3.3% | 0.90 |
| Far Western US | $47,364 | 14.4% | 0.92 |
| Middle Atlantic | $47,286 | 6.4% | 0.45 |
| Southeast | $46,877 | 48.0% | 6.51 |
| New England | $46,030 | 2.5% | 0.77 |
| Plains States | $43,362 | 3.6% | 0.77 |
| Great Lakes | $41,381 | 16.1% | 1.80 |
| Southwest | $39,590 | 5.8% | 0.54 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | NC | $59,400 | 2,140 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $58,240 | 60 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $57,850 | 170 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $57,460 | 230 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | MN | $56,840 | 60 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | CO | $55,990 | 240 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | OK | $50,920 | 50 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | CT | $50,380 | 30 |
Which Industries Hire Upholsterers
The largest employers of upholsterers are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 12,150 | $46,190 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 5,770 | $45,900 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 850 | $46,970 |
| Retail Trade | 650 | $46,890 |
| Wholesale Trade | 430 | $39,970 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 410 | $55,440 |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 170 | $53,600 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 130 | $49,220 |
Upholsterers work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD (hot technology)
- Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
Work Environment
The on-the-job environment of upholsterers is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
- Spend Time Standing
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
How to Become Upholsterers
Most upholsterers positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Carpenters (Supplemental)
- Carpet Installers (Primary-Long)
- Automotive Body and Related Repairers (Supplemental)
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers (Supplemental)
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters (Primary-Long)
- Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators (Supplemental)
- Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic (Supplemental)
- Sewing Machine Operators (Primary-Short)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Future upholsterers commonly pursue programs in:
Precision Production
1 programs across 1 majors
Sources
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 51-6093.00 (Upholsterers).
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