Upholsterers Salary: $50,847 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 20,990 upholsterers nationally earn a mean of $50,847. Employment in the series shown fell about 26% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 6.0% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Upholsterers: what the data shows
Common questions about upholsterers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a upholsterers?
Upholsterers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-6093.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 20,990 workers.
What does a upholsterers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Handling and Moving Objects, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Getting Information, Performing General Physical Activities, Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a upholsterers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $46,190 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $50,847 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,155 |
| 25th percentile | $40,885 |
| Median (50th) | $49,083 |
| 75th percentile | $56,531 |
| 90th percentile | $64,021 |
What education do you need?
For Upholsterers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving, Time Management, and knowledge areas including Production and Processing, Design, Customer and Personal Service, Mechanical. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is upholsterers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 6.0% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -26.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -46.0%.
Current U.S. headcount: 20,990.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do upholstererss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 20,990 | 19.9% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 20,780 | 19.7% |
| Manufacturing | 12,150 | 11.5% |
| Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing | 9,460 | 9.0% |
| Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only) | 9,160 | 8.7% |
| Repair and Maintenance | 5,770 | 5.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Upholsterers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Upholsterers workforce.
Employment Over Time
20,990 Workforce in 2023
The Upholsterers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Upholsterers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$50,847 Average Wage
In 2023, Upholsterers earned an average of $50,847.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Upholsterers.
Salary distribution for Upholsterers.
Employment Growth Projections
-6.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
5,200 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -26.5%
3,820 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -46.0%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Upholsterers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Upholsterers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Upholsterers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Upholsterers.
Wage Trends by Industry
5.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Upholsterers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Upholsterers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- NC: 3,860 employees, $52,410 avg wage
- MS: 2,480 employees, $43,240 avg wage
- CA: 1,880 employees, $49,560 avg wage
- IN: 1,370 employees, $44,110 avg wage
- FL: 1,370 employees, $43,550 avg wage
- GA: 900 employees, $50,320 avg wage
- TX: 730 employees, $37,960 avg wage
- MI: 690 employees, $44,210 avg wage
- OH: 660 employees, $40,690 avg wage
- NY: 530 employees, $60,200 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Upholsterers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC: 2,140 employees, $57,460 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 960 employees, $48,620 avg wage
- Greensboro-High Point, NC: 770 employees, $48,000 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 590 employees, $62,350 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 430 employees, $45,060 avg wage
- Winston-Salem, NC: 400 employees, $41,340 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 390 employees, $45,660 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 290 employees, $44,940 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 290 employees, $44,550 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 270 employees, $40,660 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Upholsterers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Upholsterers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Upholsterers in 2023 was 20,990 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Upholsterers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Upholsterers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Upholsterers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Upholsterers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Upholsterers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Upholsterers workers.
Education level distribution for Upholsterers.
Skills
Upholsterers need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving.
Required skills for Upholsterers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Upholsterers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Upholsterers include Production and Processing, Design, Customer and Personal Service, Mechanical, Education and Training.
Knowledge areas required for Upholsterers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Upholsterers include Arm-Hand Steadiness, Manual Dexterity, Finger Dexterity, Near Vision, Control Precision.
Required abilities for Upholsterers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Upholsterers.
Daily Activities
Upholsterers spend their time on activities such as Handling and Moving Objects, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Getting Information, Performing General Physical Activities, Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information.
Most important work activities for Upholsterers.
About
Upholsterers
The average yearly wage for Upholsterers was $50,847 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-6093 - Upholsterers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Upholsterers reports an average salary of $50,847.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 20,990 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -6.0%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.