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Upholsterers
Make, repair, or replace upholstery for household furniture or transportation vehicles.
Other titles employers use
Box Spring Upholsterer · Furniture Upholsterer · Inside Upholsterer · Sofa Back Upholsterer · Stapler · Trimmer · Upholstered Goods Crafter · Upholsterer
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- 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.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to practical work.
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Active Learning
- Monitoring
Subjects to know
- Production and Processing
- Design
Useful strengths
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Manual Dexterity
- Finger Dexterity
- Near Vision
- Control Precision
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.5 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 4.6 | Standing or moving for most of it |
| Talking face to face | 3.8 | A regular part of the day |
| Working with your hands | 4.9 | Handling tools, instruments or materials |
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Computer aided design CAD software
- Accounting software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Presentation software
- Operating system software
- Word processing software
- Process mapping and design software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 6,200
- Job openings each year
- 590
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 6.7%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 6,200 | 590 | 6.7% |
| Mississippi | 3,560 | 320 | −6.3% |
| California | 2,800 | 260 | −6.7% |
| Florida | 1,840 | 180 | 10.8% |
| Texas | 1,800 | 170 | 7.1% |
| Indiana | 1,790 | 170 | — |
| Michigan | 1,790 | 160 | −3.8% |
| Georgia | 1,070 | 110 | 15.1% |
| Ohio | 1,030 | 90 | −2.8% |
| New York | 890 | 0 | −1.1% |
| Virginia | 680 | 60 | — |
| Illinois | 550 | 50 | 3.8% |
| Washington | 520 | 50 | — |
| Tennessee | 510 | 50 | 8.5% |
| Oregon | 500 | 50 | 6.4% |
| New Jersey | 480 | 50 | 2.1% |
| Colorado | 440 | 40 | 7.3% |
| Connecticut | 420 | 40 | 5.0% |
| Pennsylvania | 350 | 30 | — |
| Missouri | 340 | 30 | — |
| Arizona | 330 | 30 | 10.0% |
| Kansas | 330 | 30 | −2.9% |
| Utah | 310 | 30 | 10.7% |
| Nevada | 300 | 30 | 11.1% |
| Wisconsin | 270 | 30 | 8.0% |
| Alabama | 230 | 20 | 4.5% |
| Arkansas | 220 | 20 | — |
| South Carolina | 210 | 20 | 10.5% |
| Idaho | 160 | 20 | 14.3% |
| Minnesota | 160 | 20 | 6.7% |
| Massachusetts | 140 | 10 | 7.7% |
| Oklahoma | 140 | 10 | — |
| Iowa | 130 | 10 | 8.3% |
| Kentucky | 100 | 10 | — |
| Louisiana | 90 | 10 | 12.5% |
| Maryland | 80 | 10 | — |
| Nebraska | 70 | 10 | 16.7% |
| Vermont | 70 | 10 | — |
| Puerto Rico | 40 | 10 | 33.3% |
| Rhode Island | 40 | 0 | — |
| Delaware | 30 | 0 | — |
| New Hampshire | 30 | 0 | — |
| North Dakota | 30 | 0 | — |
| Maine | 10 | 0 | — |
Career to college
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