Production Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 51-6093

Upholsterers

Median pay sits 38% below the mid peer in Production Occupations (neighbors include Power Distributors and Dispatchers, Plant and System Operators, All Other, Gas Plant Operators, Model Makers, Metal and Plastic).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Upholsterers: Power Distributors and Dispatchers ($107K) , Plant and System Operators, All Other ($62K) , Gas Plant Operators ($88K) , Model Makers, Metal and Plastic ($63K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Upholsterers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 51-6093 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Fit, install, and secure material on frames, using hand tools, power tools, glue, cement, or staples
  2. 2. Measure and cut new covering materials, using patterns and measuring and cutting instruments, following sketches and design specifications
  3. 3. Build furniture up with loose fiber stuffing, cotton, felt, or foam padding to form smooth, rounded surfaces
  4. 4. Make, restore, or create custom upholstered furniture, using hand tools and knowledge of fabrics and upholstery methods
  5. 5. Read work orders, and apply knowledge and experience with materials to determine types and amounts of materials required to cover workpieces
  6. 6. Draw cutting lines on material following patterns, templates, sketches, or blueprints, using chalk, pencils, paint, or other methods
  7. 7. Stretch webbing and fabric, using webbing stretchers
  8. 8. Operate sewing machines or sew upholstery by hand to seam cushions and join various sections of covering material
  9. 9. Examine furniture frames, upholstery, springs, and webbing to locate defects
  10. 10. Adjust or replace webbing, padding, or springs, and secure them in place
  11. 11. Sew rips or tears in material, or create tufting, using needles and thread
  12. 12. Design upholstery cover patterns and cutting plans, based on sketches, customer descriptions, or blueprints

Upholsterers: O*NET ranks Critical Thinking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 51-6093 - lead skill Critical Thinking at 3.5 ; lead knowledge Production and Processing. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Critical Thinking 3.5
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 3.1
  3. 3. Active Listening 3.0
  4. 4. Speaking 3.0
  5. 5. Active Learning 3.0
  6. 6. Monitoring 3.0
  7. 7. Complex Problem Solving 3.0
  8. 8. Judgment and Decision Making 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Production and Processing 3.1
  2. 2. Design 3.0
  3. 3. Customer and Personal Service 2.9
  4. 4. Mechanical 2.8
  5. 5. Education and Training 2.7
  6. 6. Mathematics 2.6
Pay vs Production Occupations peers
-38%
vs mid peer median $74,450
This role $46,340/yr
$46K
National median
↓ -2%
Growth 2024-2034
2,200
Annual openings
20,140
Estimated US jobs
Power Distributors and Dispatchers
Highest-pay peer · $107K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Upholsterers

1. Georgia $50,760
2. Rhode Island $63,360
3. North Dakota $52,420
4. Connecticut $50,870
5. Hawaii $57,390
6. Louisiana $49,920
7. Washington $55,970
8. North Carolina $50,600
9. Maryland $50,270
10. Nevada $49,880

Other Production Occupations titles

  1. 1. Plant and System Operators, All Other $62,470
  2. 2. Gas Plant Operators $87,820
  3. 3. Power Distributors and Dispatchers $106,730
  4. 4. Model Makers, Metal and Plastic $63,340
  5. 5. Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators $78,620
  6. 6. Tool and Die Makers $64,050

Among Production Occupations peers on this card, Upholsterers sits 38% below the mid peer median ($74,450). Its own median is $46,340.

Employment Projections expect -2% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 2,200 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent 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: Georgia at $50,760. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Power Distributors and Dispatchers at $106,730. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Upholsterers pay-rank #60 in Production Occupations

Upholsterers sits at pay-rank #60 of 105 detailed Production 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.

SOC 51-6093 · national median $46,340 · middle third of Production Occupations (#60/105). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Upholsterers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 51-6093

Georgia · top state for Upholsterers

$51K published median

Rhode Island · #2 state pay

$63K · behind Georgia

Power Distributors and Dispatchers

Highest-pay peer vs Upholsterers · $107K

Plant and System Operators, All Other

Lower-pay peer beside Upholsterers · $62K

Compare Upholsterers

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

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Upholsterers

Against another occupation

Power Distributors and Dispatchers card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Upholsterers mid-table among Production Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #60 of 105 detailed Production Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic ($46K), Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers ($46K), Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders ($46K), Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic ($46K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do upholsterers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Upholsterers. Leading ones include: Fit, install, and secure material on frames, using hand tools, power tools, glue, cement, or staples; Measure and cut new covering materials, using patterns and measuring and cutting instruments, following sketches and design specifications; Build furniture up with loose fiber stuffing, cotton, felt, or foam padding to form smooth, rounded surfaces; Make, restore, or create custom upholstered furniture, using hand tools and knowledge of fabrics and upholstery methods. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for upholsterers? ▼
For SOC 51-6093, O*NET importance scores lead with Critical Thinking (3.5), Reading Comprehension (3.1), Active Listening (3.0), Speaking (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Production and Processing, Design, Customer and Personal Service. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Upholsterers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $46,340 as the national median for Upholsterers. The published 10th-90th range is $31,690 to $63,770. Beside Power Distributors and Dispatchers ($106,730), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Upholsterers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Upholsterers is -2%. Projected annual openings: about 2,200. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Upholsterers? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Upholsterers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Upholsterers? ▼
Georgia ($50,760), Rhode Island ($63,360), North Dakota ($52,420) 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 Upholsterers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 51-6093. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Upholsterers. 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