Tapers Salary: $76,494 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 12,500 tapers nationally earn a mean of $76,494. Employment in the series shown fell about 5% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 4.0% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Tapers: what the data shows
Common questions about tapers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a tapers?
Tapers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 47-2082.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 12,500 workers.
What does a tapers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Performing General Physical Activities, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a tapers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $64,700 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $76,494 — 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 | $46,004 |
| 25th percentile | $60,425 |
| Median (50th) | $71,718 |
| 75th percentile | $84,029 |
| 90th percentile | $114,304 |
What education do you need?
For Tapers, 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 Monitoring, Speaking, Active Listening, Time Management, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, and knowledge areas including Building and Construction, English Language, Education and Training, Customer and Personal Service. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is tapers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 4.0% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -18.6%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -33.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 12,500.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do taperss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 12,500 | 17.3% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 12,500 | 17.3% |
| Construction | 12,390 | 17.2% |
| Specialty Trade Contractors | 10,820 | 15.0% |
| Building Finishing Contractors | 10,530 | 14.6% |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors | 9,780 | 13.6% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Tapers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Tapers workforce.
Employment Over Time
12,500 Workforce in 2023
The Tapers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Tapers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$76,494 Average Wage
In 2023, Tapers earned an average of $76,494.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Tapers.
Salary distribution for Tapers.
Employment Growth Projections
-4.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
11,370 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -18.6%
9,260 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -33.7%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Tapers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Tapers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Tapers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Tapers.
Wage Trends by Industry
0.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Tapers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Tapers.
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:
- CA: 3,790 employees, $74,310 avg wage
- WA: 1,510 employees, $76,960 avg wage
- AZ: 1,020 employees, $56,750 avg wage
- NV: 990 employees, $57,100 avg wage
- TX: 450 employees, $45,720 avg wage
- UT: 400 employees, $53,880 avg wage
- OR: 390 employees, $78,070 avg wage
- IL: 380 employees, $103,840 avg wage
- MO: 310 employees, $65,150 avg wage
- MA: 290 employees, $93,410 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Tapers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 990 employees, $81,360 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 950 employees, $76,600 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 770 employees, $60,000 avg wage
- Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV: 690 employees, $58,080 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 640 employees, $59,410 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA: 490 employees, $75,410 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 350 employees, $85,210 avg wage
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: 340 employees, $82,660 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 320 employees, $104,470 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA: 310 employees, $74,320 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Tapers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Tapers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Tapers in 2023 was 12,500 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Tapers.
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 Tapers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Tapers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Tapers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Tapers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Tapers workers.
Education level distribution for Tapers.
Skills
Tapers need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Speaking, Active Listening, Time Management, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Tapers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Tapers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Tapers include Building and Construction, English Language, Education and Training, Customer and Personal Service, Mechanical.
Knowledge areas required for Tapers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Tapers include Near Vision, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Extent Flexibility, Multilimb Coordination, Manual Dexterity.
Required abilities for Tapers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Tapers.
Daily Activities
Tapers spend their time on activities such as Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Performing General Physical Activities, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment.
Most important work activities for Tapers.
About
Tapers
The average yearly wage for Tapers was $76,494 in 2023.
SOC Code
47-2082 - Tapers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Tapers reports an average salary of $76,494.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 12,500 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -4.0%, 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.