Construction and Extraction
Carpet Installers
Lay and install carpet from rolls or blocks on floors. Install padding and trim flooring materials.
Also called: Carpet Flooring Installer, Carpet Layer, Carpet Mechanic, Commercial Floor Covering Installer, Floor Coverer, Floor Covering Installer
- Median pay in Greater Boston
- $48,900
- $23.51/hr
- Jobs in Greater Boston
- Not published
- Massachusetts 2024–2034
- Not published
- Typical U.S. entry requirement
- No formal educational credential
- plus Short-term on-the-job training
Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.
Pay range in Greater Boston
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $47,930 | $47,930 | $48,900 | $49,580 | $71,090 |
10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.
What you’d do
- Plan the layout of the carpet, allowing for expected traffic patterns and placing seams for best appearance and longest wear.
- Join edges of carpet and seam edges where necessary, by sewing or by using tape with glue and heated carpet iron.
- Cut carpet padding to size and install padding, following prescribed method.
- Cut and trim carpet to fit along wall edges, openings, and projections, finishing the edges with a wall trimmer.
- Stretch carpet to align with walls and ensure a smooth surface, and press carpet in place over tack strips or use staples, tape, tacks or glue to hold carpet in place.
- Roll out, measure, mark, and cut carpeting to size with a carpet knife, following floor sketches and allowing extra carpet for final fitting.
AI and this job
AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.
Lower exposure5 of 100
The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:
- AIOE 4
- Language-model AIOE 4
- GPTs-are-GPTs 8
Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)
Carpet installation has lower AI exposure, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools might help with planning a carpet layout, but cutting, seaming, stretching, and fitting carpet by hand are not tasks they do. The bigger concern is demand: federal notes say carpet's share is shrinking as other floor coverings replace it.
Likely to change
- Planning carpet layout and seam placement
- Estimating material and measurements
Still relies on people
- Stretching and fitting carpet around walls
- Cutting and seaming by hand
What federal projections say
“Demand change - share decreases as other floor coverings replace carpet.”
Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.
Next steps from here
Related jobs that build on what you already do.
Brickmasons and Blockmasons
Measuring, marking layout lines, and working with levels carry over, and this apprenticeship trade offers much higher pay and projected growth.
- Pay difference
- +$48,060 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +5.3%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Roofers
Hands-on installing and precise fitting carry over, and roofing offers higher pay and projected growth with no formal credential needed.
- Pay difference
- +$17,450 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +7.7%
- To get started
- No formal educational credential
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers
Aligning and setting up for a smooth finished surface carries over, and this job offers higher pay with moderate-term on-the-job training.
- Pay difference
- +$13,970 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +2.9%
- To get started
- No formal educational credential
Training near Boston
College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).
No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.
Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.
Who employs carpet installers on Boston construction projects
Hours worked on projects covered by the Boston Residents Jobs Policy over the last 24 months. This shows who has employed carpet installers, not who has openings.
15,890 worker hours from Oct 20, 2024 to Oct 19, 2026 (trades: Carpet Layer).
- 16.6%
- of hours by boston residents
- 46.2%
- of hours by people of color
- 4.6%
- of hours by women
| Employer | Worker hours | Boston resident share | Projects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pavilion Floors, Inc. | 12,661 | 20.8% | 3 |
| Century Drywall Inc. | 2,080 | 0.0% | 1 |
Related occupations
Talk to a career coach
A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.
Talk to a career coach