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Upholsterers

ManufacturingO*NET 51-6093.00United States

Make, repair, or replace upholstery for household furniture or transportation vehicles.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$43,254

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
−9.2%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
High school diploma or less

100% of the workforce

Employment
28.31K jobs

Growing to 25.72K by 2035

Explore this career by location

Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

Showing United States

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What upholsterers do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • 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.
  • Read work orders, and apply knowledge and experience with materials to determine types and amounts of materials required to cover workpieces.
  • Make, restore, or create custom upholstered furniture, using hand tools and knowledge of fabrics and upholstery methods.
  • 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.
  • Remove covering, webbing, padding, or defective springs from workpieces, using hand tools such as hammers and tack pullers.
  • Attach fasteners, grommets, buttons, buckles, ornamental trim, and other accessories to covers or frames, using hand tools.
  • Repair furniture frames and refinish exposed wood.
  • Interweave and fasten strips of webbing to the backs and undersides of furniture, using small hand tools and fasteners.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$25,357
25th percentile
$32,466
50th percentile
$43,254
75th percentile
$55,525
90th percentile
$74,334

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $43,254 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

−9.2%projected to decline
202528,309 jobs
2035 projected25,716 jobs

2,593 fewer positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less
100%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Upholstery
  • Hand Tools
  • Sewing
  • Textiles
  • Lifting Ability
  • Power Tool Operation
  • Furniture Cleaning
  • Housekeeping
  • Personal Protective Equipment
  • Aircraft Interiors
  • Blueprinting
  • Engineering Drawings
  • Fabrication
  • Process Improvement
  • Federal Aviation Administration
  • Machinery
  • General Mathematics
  • Painting
  • Aerospace Industry
  • Standard Operating Procedure

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Quality Control Analysis
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Equipment Selection
Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Upholstery Technicians868 postings
  2. 02Upholsterers857 postings
  3. 03Detailers400 postings
  4. 04Shop Helpers234 postings
  5. 05Interior Installers143 postings
  6. 06Cabinet Finishers97 postings
  7. 07Sewers82 postings
  8. 08Installation Technicians74 postings
  9. 09Interior Technicians63 postings
  10. 10Installers61 postings
  11. 11Aircraft Detailers59 postings
  12. 12Furniture Builders52 postings
  13. 13Industrial Sewers52 postings
  14. 14Carpet Cleaning Technicians42 postings
  15. 15Technicians42 postings
  16. 16Woodworkers42 postings
  17. 17Detail Technicians41 postings
  18. 18Forklift Operators36 postings
  19. 19Maintenance Workers36 postings
  20. 20Completions Managers35 postings

Top employers

  1. 01Gulfstream Aerospace295 postings
  2. 02Aerotek130 postings
  3. 03Hsgi108 postings
  4. 04Global Technical Services99 postings
  5. 05Freedomroads95 postings
  6. 06Camping World91 postings
  7. 07Caliber67 postings
  8. 08Campers Inn Rv55 postings
  9. 09Boeing52 postings
  10. 10Holman Enterprises51 postings
  11. 11Carvana50 postings
  12. 12Lippert49 postings
  13. 13PDS Tech47 postings
  14. 14Campers Inn35 postings
  15. 15Lippert Components35 postings
  16. 16Bell Canada34 postings
  17. 17Caliber Holdings34 postings
  18. 18Holman And Company33 postings
  19. 19Aviation Personnel32 postings
  20. 20Comlux America31 postings

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