Construction and Extraction Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 47-2043

Floor Sanders and Finishers

Median pay sits 31% below the mid peer in Construction and Extraction Occupations (neighbors include First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers, Brickmasons and Blockmasons, Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Floor Sanders and Finishers: First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers ($80K) , Brickmasons and Blockmasons ($62K) , Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas ($68K) , Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters ($64K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Floor Sanders and Finishers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 47-2043 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Buff and vacuum floors to ensure their cleanliness prior to the application of finish
  2. 2. Scrape and sand floor edges and areas inaccessible to floor sanders, using scrapers, disk-type sanders, and sandpaper
  3. 3. Inspect floors for smoothness
  4. 4. Attach sandpaper to rollers of sanding machines
  5. 5. Guide sanding machines over surfaces of floors until surfaces are smooth
  6. 6. Apply filler compound and coats of finish to floors to seal wood
  7. 7. Remove excess glue from joints, using knives, scrapers, or wood chisels

Floor Sanders and Finishers: O*NET ranks Operation and Control first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 47-2043 - lead skill Operation and Control at 3.1 ; lead knowledge Building and Construction. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operation and Control 3.1
  2. 2. Active Listening 3.0
  3. 3. Coordination 3.0
  4. 4. Monitoring 2.9
  5. 5. Operations Monitoring 2.9
  6. 6. Time Management 2.9
  7. 7. Speaking 2.8
  8. 8. Critical Thinking 2.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Building and Construction 4.1
  2. 2. Customer and Personal Service 4.1
  3. 3. English Language 3.6
  4. 4. Production and Processing 3.3
  5. 5. Administration and Management 3.0
  6. 6. Mechanical 3.0
Pay vs Construction and Extraction Occupations peers
-31%
vs mid peer median $73,300
This role $50,440/yr
$50K
National median
↑ +3%
Growth 2024-2034
400
Annual openings
3,720
Estimated US jobs
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers
Highest-pay peer · $80K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential

Top Paying States for Floor Sanders and Finishers

1. Utah $74,240
2. Washington $55,620
3. Minnesota $62,940
4. Florida $52,060
5. Kentucky $54,580
6. Colorado $55,180
7. Oregon $62,020
8. New York $60,470
9. Michigan $51,400
10. Massachusetts $58,230

Other Construction and Extraction Occupations titles

  1. 1. Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas $67,890
  2. 2. Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters $63,800
  3. 3. First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $79,920
  4. 4. Structural Iron and Steel Workers $62,780
  5. 5. Boilermakers $76,410
  6. 6. Brickmasons and Blockmasons $62,120

Among Construction and Extraction Occupations peers on this card, Floor Sanders and Finishers sits 31% below the mid peer median ($73,300). Its own median is $50,440.

Employment Projections expect +3% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 400 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Utah at $74,240. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers at $79,920. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Floor Sanders and Finishers pay-rank #40 in Construction and Extraction Occupations

Floor Sanders and Finishers sits at pay-rank #40 of 60 detailed Construction and Extraction Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Floor Sanders and Finishers pays 31% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Floor Sanders and Finishers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 47-2043

Utah · top state for Floor Sanders and Finishers

$74K published median

Washington · #2 state pay

$56K · behind Utah

First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers

Highest-pay peer vs Floor Sanders and Finishers · $80K

Brickmasons and Blockmasons

Lower-pay peer beside Floor Sanders and Finishers · $62K

Compare Floor Sanders and Finishers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Floor Sanders and Finishers with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Floor Sanders and Finishers

Against another occupation

First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Floor Sanders and Finishers mid-table among Construction and Extraction Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #40 of 60 detailed Construction and Extraction Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Paperhangers ($52K), Solar Photovoltaic Installers ($53K), Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators ($53K), Roofers ($55K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do floor sanders and finishers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Floor Sanders and Finishers. Leading ones include: Buff and vacuum floors to ensure their cleanliness prior to the application of finish; Scrape and sand floor edges and areas inaccessible to floor sanders, using scrapers, disk-type sanders, and sandpaper; Inspect floors for smoothness; Attach sandpaper to rollers of sanding machines. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for floor sanders and finishers? ▼
For SOC 47-2043, O*NET importance scores lead with Operation and Control (3.1), Active Listening (3.0), Coordination (3.0), Monitoring (2.9). Knowledge areas emphasize Building and Construction, Customer and Personal Service, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Floor Sanders and Finishers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $50,440 as the national median for Floor Sanders and Finishers. The published 10th-90th range is $37,070 to $70,340. Beside First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers ($79,920), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Floor Sanders and Finishers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Floor Sanders and Finishers is +3%. Projected annual openings: about 400. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Floor Sanders and Finishers? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Floor Sanders and Finishers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Floor Sanders and Finishers? ▼
Utah ($74,240), Washington ($55,620), Minnesota ($62,940) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Floor Sanders and Finishers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 47-2043. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Floor Sanders and Finishers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics