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Boston Career Explorer

Production

Upholsterers

Make, repair, or replace upholstery for household furniture or transportation vehicles.

Also called: Box Spring Upholsterer, Furniture Upholsterer, Inside Upholsterer, Sofa Back Upholsterer, Stapler, Trimmer

Median pay in Greater Boston
$48,380
$23.26/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
100
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+3.7%
20 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Moderate-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

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$48,380$48,380$48,380$67,510$89,430

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • 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.
  • Read work orders, and apply knowledge and experience with materials to determine types and amounts of materials required to cover workpieces.
  • Examine furniture frames, upholstery, springs, and webbing to locate defects.

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 exposure11 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 7
  • Language-model AIOE 4
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 21

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools may help a bit with reading work orders or estimating how much material a job needs. Cutting, stuffing, fitting, and fastening fabric on real furniture frames is hands-on work that AI tools do not do.

Likely to change

  • Reading work orders and estimating materials
  • Planning cuts from sketches and specifications

Still relies on people

  • Fitting and securing fabric on frames
  • Shaping padding by hand for smooth surfaces

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.

  • Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles

    Cutting, trimming, and joining covering materials is close to what you do now. Floor layers earn $98,290, with 11.3% projected growth.

    Pay difference
    +$49,910 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +11.3%
    To get started
    No formal educational credential

  • Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters

    Assembling furniture components and checking fit builds on your furniture-frame skills. It pays $59,120 and has low AI exposure.

    Pay difference
    +$10,740 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +1.2%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic

    Reading work orders and trimming material with knives and saws carry over. This job pays $55,530, with 6.7% projected growth.

    Pay difference
    +$7,150 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +6.7%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

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.

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.

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