Carpet Installers
47-2041.00
Updated 2025

Lay and install carpet from rolls or blocks on floors. Install padding and trim flooring materials.

Sample of reported job titles: Carpet Installer, Carpet Layer, Carpet Mechanic, Commercial Floor Covering Installer, Floor Coverer, Floor Covering Installer, Floor Installation Mechanic, Flooring Installer, Installer

Occupation-Specific Information

Tasks

  • 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.
  • Nail tack strips around area to be carpeted or use old strips to attach edges of new carpet.
  • Cut carpet padding to size and install padding, following prescribed method.
  • Fasten metal treads across door openings or where carpet meets flooring to hold carpet in place.
  • Draw building diagrams and record dimensions.
  • Move furniture from area to be carpeted and remove old carpet and padding.
  • Cut and bind material.
  • Cut and install vinyl composition tile or vinyl base.
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Technology Skills

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Occupational Requirements

Work Activities

  • Performing General Physical Activities — Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
  • Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information — Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment — Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.
  • Controlling Machines and Processes — Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
  • Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
  • Communicating with People Outside the Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Training and Teaching Others — Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
  • Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.

Detailed Work Activities

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Work Context

  • Freedom to Make Decisions — 87% responded “A lot of freedom.”
  • Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls — 82% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams — 67% responded “Every day.”
  • Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling — 71% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Telephone Conversations — 53% responded “Every day.”
  • Contact With Others — 52% responded “Constant contact with others.”
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — 49% responded “Every day.”
  • Time Pressure — 45% responded “Every day.”
  • Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals — 41% responded “A lot of freedom.”
  • Exposed to Contaminants — 48% responded “Every day.”
  • Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results — 47% responded “Very important results.”
  • Frequency of Decision Making — 54% responded “Every day.”
  • Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions — 46% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — 46% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team — 37% responded “Very important.”
  • Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body — 47% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers — 35% responded “Very high responsibility.”
  • Exposed to Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions — 30% responded “Every day.”
  • Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings — 46% responded “Every day.”
  • Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable — 36% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities — 44% responded “Important.”
  • Duration of Typical Work Week — 47% responded “More than 40 hours.”
  • Level of Competition — 55% responded “Highly competitive.”
  • Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets — 34% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Deal With External Customers or the Public in General — 26% responded “Very important.”
  • Health and Safety of Other Workers — 35% responded “Moderate responsibility.”
  • Physical Proximity — 55% responded “Moderately close (at arm's length).”
  • In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment — 45% responded “Every day.”
  • Conflict Situations — 36% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”

Experience Requirements

Job Zone

Title
Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Education
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Related Experience
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Job Zone Examples
These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include orderlies, counter and rental clerks, customer service representatives, security guards, upholsterers, tellers, and dental laboratory technicians.
SVP Range
(4.0 to < 6.0)

Training & Credentials

State training
Local training
Certifications
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State licenses

Apprenticeship Opportunities

Example apprenticeship titles for this occupation:

  • Carpet Layer

Specific title(s) listed above are vetted by industry and approved by the U.S. Department of Labor for use in a Registered Apprenticeship Program.

Start your career and build your skillset. Visit Apprenticeship.gov to learn about opportunities related to this occupation.

Worker Requirements

Skills

  • Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Mathematics — Using mathematics to solve problems.
  • Quality Control Analysis — Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
  • Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Knowledge

  • Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Administration and Management — Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
  • Building and Construction — Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
  • Production and Processing — Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

Education

How much education does a new hire need to perform a job in this occupation? Respondents said:

  • 69%
     
    High school diploma or equivalent required
  • 22%
     
    Less than high school diploma required
  • 7%
     
    Some college, no degree required

Worker Characteristics

Abilities

  • Extent Flexibility — The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
  • Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Trunk Strength — The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
  • Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Static Strength — The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
  • Arm-Hand Steadiness — The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Manual Dexterity — The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Visualization — The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
  • Finger Dexterity — The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Multilimb Coordination — The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
  • Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Stamina — The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
  • Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Depth Perception — The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
  • Dynamic Strength — The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
  • Far Vision — The ability to see details at a distance.
  • Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Selective Attention — The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.

Interests

Interest code: RC
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  • Realistic — Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.
  • Conventional — Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Work Styles

  • Attention to Detail — A tendency to be detail-oriented, organized, and thorough in completing work.
  • Dependability — A tendency to be reliable, responsible, and consistent in meeting work-related obligations.

Workforce Characteristics

Wages & Employment Trends

Median wages (2024)
$23.97 hourly, $49,850 annual
State wages
Local wages
Employment (2024)
20,300 employees
Projected growth (2024-2034)
Decline (-1% or lower)
Projected job openings (2024-2034)
1,100
State trends
Top industries (2024)

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024 wage data and 2024-2034 employment projections . “Projected growth” represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2024-2034). “Projected job openings” represent openings due to growth and replacement.

Job Openings on the Web

State job openings
Local job openings

More Information

Professional Associations

Disclaimer: Sources are listed to provide additional information on related jobs, specialties, and/or industries. Links to non-DOL Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.

National Associations
Regional Associations
Accreditation, Certification, & Unions