Carpet Installers: Salary Overview
As a carpet installer, you will remove, install, and repair carpets.
You will need to do all the preliminary work, including removing old flooring and carpet.
You need a good eye for detail and a firm hand.
Depending on the size of your employer you will work in government buildings, offices, or private homes.
Carpet installers need a good physical condition because they perform activities that require the use of the whole body, bending, lifting, and moving furniture and fitting and cutting the carpet.
Carpet installers also have to drive to sites and remove the existing carpeting, answer questions, and clean work areas.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual wage for carpet installers was $44,550 as of May 2018.
The average hourly rate earned by carpet installers was $21.42.
Salaries range between less than $22,000 and more than $75,000 a year, depending on factors such as experience, education, or industry of employment.
The median wage for this profession was $39,340 per year which means that half of all workers earned less than this and half made more than this amount.
Carpet Installer Salary by Industry
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the biggest employers for carpet installers were home furnishing stores.
The average annual wage reported by carpet installers who worked in this sector was $43,980.
Carpet installers who worked in the field of residential building construction made, on average, $39,430 per year.
The average annual wage was $44,720 per year for carpet installers who worked for merchant wholesalers of durable goods and $40,230 for those who worked in the field of employment services.
The highest average annual salary was reported by carpet installers who worked in the field of travel accommodation.
Carpet installers employed in the hospitality industry earned, on average, $59,170 per year as of May 2018.
However, this field hired only a few carpet installers and job opportunities may not occur very often.
Salaries also vary depending on experience and the region of employment.
As an entry-level employee, you may earn a salary close to the 10th percentile for this profession, which is $22,560.
After earning a few years of experience your salary will increase and become closer to the 25th percentile, or $29,560 per year.
The best-paid 25 percent of carpet installers earned more than $55,640 per year- you may expect a salary close to this level after earning more than 10-15 years of experience.
The highest 10 percent made more than $74,390 per year.
Salaries also vary by state and region of employment.
The numbers published by BLS show that carpet installers from Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Minnesota reported the highest annual salaries while those from Montana and North Dakota, for example, typically earned less than $35,000 a year.
Carpet installers are sometimes paid an hourly wage, which depending on their level of experience and skills can be anywhere between less than $10.85 and more than $35.76.
In this case, the total cash compensation varies depending on the number of hours worked.
Although there are no formal education requirements for this profession, having experience in using the tools needed for carpet installation and/or a diploma from a trade school can help you land your first job as a carpet installer.
Many employers also prefer workers who have their own van and set of tools.
In conclusion, although this profession is not very well-paid for entry-level employees, experience surely pays off.
As the numbers published by BLS show, there is a big difference between the lowest 10 percent of carpet installers and the highest 10 percent.
If you’re a skilled and hard-working individual you can triple your salary after earning more than 10-15 years of experience in the field or you can even start your own business.
* Based on information from the May 2021 salary report from the BLS. The figures represent accumulated data for all states of employment for Carpet Installers. BLS data represents averages and medians for workers at all levels of education and experience. This data doesn't represent starting salaries.
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.