Construction and Extraction · Holland code RC
Carpet Installers
Lay and install carpet from rolls or blocks on floors. Install padding and trim flooring materials.
Also called: Carpet Mechanic, Flooring Installer, Flooring Mechanic, Installer, Carpet Flooring Installer, Carpet Layer, Commercial Floor Covering Installer, Floor Coverer.
O*NET 47-2041.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $50,340
- Middle half earn $41,970 to $66,320. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- 69% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- 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.
- Nail tack strips around area to be carpeted or use old strips to attach edges of new carpet.
- 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.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Monitoring3.1 / 5
- Mathematics3.0 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.0 / 5
- Active Listening2.9 / 5
- Speaking2.9 / 5
- Reading Comprehension2.6 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service3.7 / 5
- Mathematics3.4 / 5
- Administration and Management3.4 / 5
- English Language3.3 / 5
- Building and Construction3.3 / 5
- Production and Processing3.1 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic100
- Investigative2
- Artistic16
- Social5
- Enterprising0
- Conventional42
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- terrazzo setter supervisor · DE Polier Fußbodenlegearbeiten/Polierin Fußbodenlegearbeiten · FR superviseur de carreleurs spécialisés en terrazzo/superviseuse de carreleurs spécialisés en terrazzo
- tiling supervisor · DE Polier Fliesen-, Platten- und Mosaiklegearbeiten/Polierin Fliesen-, Platten- und Mosaiklegearbeiten · FR superviseur de carreleurs/superviseuse de carreleurs
- terrazzo setter · DE Terrazzomacher/Terrazzomacherin · FR carreleur spécialisé en terrazzo/carreleuse spécialisée en terrazzo
- carpet fitter · DE Teppichbodenleger/Teppichbodenlegerin · FR poseur de moquette/poseuse de moquette
- hardwood floor layer · DE Parkettleger/Parkettlegerin · FR parqueteur/parqueteuse
- resilient floor layer · DE Bodenleger für Elastikböden/Bodenlegerin für Elastikböden · FR poseur de revêtements souples de sols/poseuse de revêtements souples de sols
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Plasterers (5321)38,800 employed
- Construction and building trades supervisors (5330)53,100 employed
- Floorers and wall tilers (5322)35,600 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Craft and related trades workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €40,086 |
| Germany | €38,638 |
| Austria | €38,194 |
| Sweden | €37,856 |
| Netherlands | €37,077 |
| Ireland | €36,098 |
| France | €27,145 |
| Italy | €26,488 |
| Spain | €22,817 |
| Portugal | €11,142 |
| Poland | €10,099 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.56. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (47-2041).
Related careers
Is it a fit for you?
Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.
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