Upholsterers
Also called: Box Spring Upholsterer, Upholstered Goods Crafter, Upholsterer, Upholstery CutterMake, repair, or replace upholstery for household furniture or transportation vehicles.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 5 of its 22 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 2.3% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 1.4% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.4 hires for every 10 job openings in durable goods manufacturing, which employs about 62% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $38,270 | $32,220 to $46,380 | 120 |
| Arizona | $41,860 | $37,040 to $49,670 | 180 |
| Arkansas | $43,660 | $36,030 to $58,390 | 210 |
| California | $48,580 | $42,240 to $57,200 | 1,640 |
| Colorado | $42,240 | $37,940 to $50,620 | 160 |
| Connecticut | $50,870 | $41,000 to $59,270 | 210 |
| Delaware | $49,860 | $47,410 to $60,230 | 40 |
| Florida | $37,840 | $36,050 to $48,700 | 1,530 |
| Georgia | $50,760 | $37,590 to $60,480 | 780 |
| Hawaii | $57,390 | $33,320 to $72,460 | 30 |
| Idaho | $39,730 | $35,900 to $45,060 | 190 |
| Illinois | $42,450 | $35,020 to $46,620 | 250 |
| Indiana | $45,080 | $37,880 to $51,430 | 1,400 |
| Iowa | $42,610 | $32,770 to $51,310 | 80 |
| Kansas | $43,260 | $35,100 to $45,800 | 260 |
| Kentucky | $41,690 | $39,760 to $45,090 | 80 |
| Louisiana | $49,920 | $36,910 to $55,860 | 80 |
| Maryland | $50,270 | $47,130 to $57,160 | 200 |
| Massachusetts | $48,380 | $45,580 to $62,230 | 150 |
| Michigan | $44,890 | $39,570 to $48,360 | 500 |
| Minnesota | $48,810 | $43,680 to $53,950 | 60 |
| Mississippi | $44,930 | $37,200 to $48,060 | 2,410 |
| Missouri | $29,990 | $29,990 to $39,590 | not published |
| Montana | $41,600 | $37,900 to $51,160 | 40 |
| Nebraska | $29,960 | $29,130 to $45,480 | 110 |
| Nevada | $49,880 | $38,900 to $63,650 | 220 |
| New Jersey | $42,640 | $38,070 to $62,420 | 410 |
| New York | $47,320 | $38,340 to $62,550 | 480 |
| North Carolina | $50,600 | $45,690 to $61,950 | 4,050 |
| North Dakota | $52,420 | $44,350 to $64,420 | not published |
| Ohio | $39,420 | $32,700 to $47,920 | 380 |
| Oklahoma | $38,020 | $33,380 to $53,000 | 150 |
| Oregon | $48,560 | $38,410 to $50,770 | 250 |
| Pennsylvania | $42,860 | $35,040 to $48,360 | 280 |
| Rhode Island | $63,360 | $58,410 to $63,360 | 30 |
| South Carolina | $38,880 | $34,560 to $51,980 | 140 |
| Tennessee | $38,020 | $36,670 to $48,650 | 460 |
| Texas | $42,930 | $35,910 to $48,450 | 710 |
| Utah | $44,590 | $39,290 to $54,220 | 90 |
| Virginia | $31,950 | $31,110 to $45,850 | 340 |
| Washington | $55,970 | $48,310 to $73,050 | 200 |
| Wisconsin | $47,010 | $38,460 to $59,140 | 260 |
Nationally: $46,340. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 5 of its 22 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Fit, install, and secure material on frames, using hand tools, power tools, glue, cement, or staples. | Not published |
| Not much | Build furniture up with loose fiber stuffing, cotton, felt, or foam padding to form smooth, rounded surfaces. | Not published |
| Not much | Make, restore, or create custom upholstered furniture, using hand tools and knowledge of fabrics and upholstery methods. | Not published |
| Not much | Attach fasteners, grommets, buttons, buckles, ornamental trim, and other accessories to covers or frames, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Adjust or replace webbing, padding, or springs, and secure them in place. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure and cut new covering materials, using patterns and measuring and cutting instruments, following sketches and design specifications. | Not published |
See all 22 tasks
| Not much | Read work orders, and apply knowledge and experience with materials to determine types and amounts of materials required to cover workpieces. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove covering, webbing, padding, or defective springs from workpieces, using hand tools such as hammers and tack pullers. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine furniture frames, upholstery, springs, and webbing to locate defects. | Not published |
| Not much | Interweave and fasten strips of webbing to the backs and undersides of furniture, using small hand tools and fasteners. | Not published |
| AI alone | Draw cutting lines on material following patterns, templates, sketches, or blueprints, using chalk, pencils, paint, or other methods. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate sewing machines or sew upholstery by hand to seam cushions and join various sections of covering material. | Not published |
| Not much | Sew rips or tears in material, or create tufting, using needles and thread. | Not published |
| Not much | Stretch webbing and fabric, using webbing stretchers. | Not published |
| Not much | Repair furniture frames and refinish exposed wood. | Not published |
| Not much | Pick up and deliver furniture. | Not published |
| AI + software | Design upholstery cover patterns and cutting plans, based on sketches, customer descriptions, or blueprints. | Not published |
| AI + software | Discuss upholstery fabrics, colors, and styles with customers, and provide cost estimates. | Not published |
| AI + software | Maintain records of time required to perform each job. | Not published |
| Not much | Attach bindings or apply solutions to edges of cut material to prevent raveling. | Not published |
| AI + software | Collaborate with interior designers to decorate rooms and coordinate furnishing fabrics. | Not published |
| Not much | Make, repair, or replace automobile upholstery and convertible and vinyl tops, using knowledge of fabric and upholstery methods. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 22 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 22 tasks fall under 18 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- #39 Determine values or prices of goods or services
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repair workpieces or products | |||
| Position materials or components for assembly | |||
| Position workpieces or materials on equipment | |||
| Sew garments or materials | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Determine values or prices of goods or services | |||
| Confer with clients to determine needs or order specifications | |||
| Create decorative objects or parts of objects |
Show all 18 activities
| Design materials or devices | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Inspect characteristics or conditions of materials or products | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Shape materials to create products | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Cut materials | |||
| Assemble products or work aids | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Prepare industrial materials for processing or use |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Data or a spreadsheet47%
- A document or report18%
- Advice or a recommendation12%
- A plan or strategy12%
- An analysis or summary6%
How they worked with Claude
71% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for upholsterers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 1,020 moves out
- 1 Anesthesiologists Low +3.6% 10%
- 2 Locker Room, Coatroom, and Dressing Room Attendants Moderate +6.4% 10%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 10%
- 4 First-Line Supervisors of Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand 7%
- 5 Chemical Engineers High +4.7% 5%
Where people moved in from
of 1,155 moves in
- 1 Locker Room, Coatroom, and Dressing Room Attendants Moderate +6.4% 16%
- 2 First-Line Supervisors of Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand 8%
- 3 Anesthesiologists Low +3.6% 6%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 5 Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity Moderate +4.1% 5%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 44% less than high school
- 56% high school
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 17 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 25% less than high school
- 46% high school
- 15% some college
- 4% associate's
- 9% bachelor's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 253 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
1 program: Upholstery/Upholsterer.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 4 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Upholsterers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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