Construction and Extraction Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 47-2082

Tapers

The published band from $43,670 to $107,110 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Tapers: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers ($110K) , Electricians ($63K) , First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers ($80K) , Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters ($64K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Tapers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 47-2082 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Spread sealing compound between boards or panels or over cracks, holes, nail heads, or screw heads, using trowels, broadknives, or spatulas
  2. 2. Press paper tape over joints to embed tape into sealing compound and to seal joints
  3. 3. Apply additional coats to fill in holes and make surfaces smooth
  4. 4. Seal joints between plasterboard or other wallboard to prepare wall surfaces for painting or papering
  5. 5. Spread and smooth cementing material over tape, using trowels or floating machines to blend joints with wall surfaces
  6. 6. Sand or patch nicks or cracks in plasterboard or wallboard
  7. 7. Mix sealing compounds by hand or with portable electric mixers
  8. 8. Work on high ceilings, using scaffolding or other tools, such as stilts
  9. 9. Select the correct sealing compound or tape
  10. 10. Countersink nails or screws below surfaces of walls before applying sealing compounds, using hammers or screwdrivers
  11. 11. Remove extra compound after surfaces have been covered sufficiently
  12. 12. Install metal molding at wall corners to secure wallboard

Tapers: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 47-2082 - lead skill Active Listening at 2.9 ; lead knowledge Building and Construction. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 2.9
  2. 2. Speaking 2.9
  3. 3. Monitoring 2.9
  4. 4. Time Management 2.8
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 2.6
  6. 6. Social Perceptiveness 2.6
  7. 7. Coordination 2.5
  8. 8. Judgment and Decision Making 2.4

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Building and Construction 4.0
  2. 2. English Language 2.6
  3. 3. Education and Training 2.5
  4. 4. Customer and Personal Service 2.5
  5. 5. Mechanical 2.4
  6. 6. Administration and Management 2.4
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$43,670 to $107,110
median $68,270 · ~2.5× spread
$68K
National median
↑ +0%
Growth 2024-2034
1,100
Annual openings
12,840
Estimated US jobs
Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers
Highest-pay peer · $110K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential

Top Paying States for Tapers

1. Pennsylvania $82,240
2. Ohio $73,840
3. Washington $79,040
4. Kansas $74,120
5. Illinois $113,180
6. California $73,460
7. Minnesota $78,090
8. Hawaii $95,490
9. Oregon $71,450
10. New York $77,790

Other Construction and Extraction Occupations titles

  1. 1. First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $79,920
  2. 2. Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters $63,800
  3. 3. Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers $109,910
  4. 4. Roof Bolters, Mining $78,540
  5. 5. Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators $70,070
  6. 6. Electricians $63,190

The OEWS band for Tapers runs from $43,670 (10th) to $107,110 (90th), about 2.5× wide, with median $68,270. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +0% change between 2024 and 2034 (slower than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,100 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: Pennsylvania at $82,240. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers at $109,910. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Tapers pay-rank #11 in Construction and Extraction Occupations

Among 60 detailed Construction and Extraction Occupations with a published OEWS median, Tapers is pay-rank #11, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third 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.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Tapers is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Tapers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 47-2082

Pennsylvania · top state for Tapers

$82K published median

Ohio · #2 state pay

$74K · behind Pennsylvania

Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers

Highest-pay peer vs Tapers · $110K

Electricians

Lower-pay peer beside Tapers · $63K

Compare Tapers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Tapers with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Construction and Extraction Occupations titles sit near Tapers at the top of the pay table? ▼
Tapers is pay-rank #11 of 60 detailed Construction and Extraction Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas ($68K), Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators ($70K), Underground Mining Machine Operators, All Other ($70K), Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters ($64K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do tapers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Tapers. Leading ones include: Spread sealing compound between boards or panels or over cracks, holes, nail heads, or screw heads, using trowels, broadknives, or spatulas; Press paper tape over joints to embed tape into sealing compound and to seal joints; Apply additional coats to fill in holes and make surfaces smooth; Seal joints between plasterboard or other wallboard to prepare wall surfaces for painting or papering. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for tapers? ▼
For SOC 47-2082, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (2.9), Speaking (2.9), Monitoring (2.9), Time Management (2.8). Knowledge areas emphasize Building and Construction, English Language, Education and Training. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Tapers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $43,670 and the 90th at $107,110 for Tapers (2.5× spread). The national median is $68,270. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Tapers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Tapers is +0%. Projected annual openings: about 1,100. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: slower than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Tapers? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Tapers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Tapers? ▼
Pennsylvania ($82,240), Ohio ($73,840), Washington ($79,040) 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 Tapers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 47-2082. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Tapers. 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