Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Carpet Installers
Occupation · SOC 47-2041.00
Lay and install carpet from rolls or blocks on floors. Install padding and trim flooring materials.
Also called: Carpet Installer · Carpet Mechanic · Flooring Installer · Installer · Carpet Layer · Commercial Floor Covering Installer · Floor Coverer · Floor Covering Installer · Floor Installation Mechanic · Carpet Cleaning Tech (Carpet Cleaning Technician) · Carpet Installation Specialist · Carpet Technician
Job family: Construction and Extraction Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-47-2041-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Declining employment outlook (-9.6% by 2034)
- 1,100 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $49,850/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (74th); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (9th)
9th-percentile task overlap — yet about 1,100 openings a year (-9.6% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Low | 5th | -1.6 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 17th | 0.1 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 16th | 0.1 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.1), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.1). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Mixed signals. Today's AI/LLM studies show relatively low exposure for this job, but the older (2013) Frey–Osborne work rated it higher for computerization and robotics. Different eras, different technologies — the AI measures above reflect the current state.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.9 · 74th percentile among occupations · High
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Declining · -9.6% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 1,100 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 20,300 → 18,300 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Carpet Installers sits at the 3rd percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
10% mean task exposure (2025)
3rd percentile of 427 placed occupations
+0 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Floor Layers and Tile Setters · 7122 | 10% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 16 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Inspect the surface to be covered to determine its condition, and correct any imperfections that might show through carpet or cause carpet to wear unevenly. Core · importance 4.5
- Roll out, measure, mark, and cut carpeting to size with a carpet knife, following floor sketches and allowing extra carpet for final fitting. Core · importance 4.5
- Join edges of carpet and seam edges where necessary, by sewing or by using tape with glue and heated carpet iron. Core · importance 4.5
- Cut and trim carpet to fit along wall edges, openings, and projections, finishing the edges with a wall trimmer. Core · importance 4.5
- Plan the layout of the carpet, allowing for expected traffic patterns and placing seams for best appearance and longest wear. Core · importance 4.4
- 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. Core · importance 4.4
- Take measurements and study floor sketches to calculate the area to be carpeted and the amount of material needed. Core · importance 4.3
- Install carpet on some floors using adhesive, following prescribed method. Core · importance 4.3
- Clean up before and after installation, including vacuuming carpet and discarding remnant pieces. Core · importance 4.1
- Measure, cut and install tackless strips along the baseboard or wall. Core · importance 4.0
- Nail tack strips around area to be carpeted or use old strips to attach edges of new carpet. Core · importance 4.0
- Cut carpet padding to size and install padding, following prescribed method. Core · importance 4.0
- Fasten metal treads across door openings or where carpet meets flooring to hold carpet in place. Core · importance 4.0
- Draw building diagrams and record dimensions. Core · importance 3.8
- Move furniture from area to be carpeted and remove old carpet and padding. Core · importance 3.7
- Cut and bind material. Core · importance 3.5
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Cut and install vinyl composition tile or vinyl base.
Work activities
- Clean work sites.
- Install carpet or flooring.
- Cut carpet, vinyl or other flexible materials.
- Smooth surfaces with abrasive materials or tools.
- Inspect work sites to determine condition or necessary repairs.
- Prepare surfaces for finishing.
- Measure materials or objects for installation or assembly.
- Mark reference points on construction materials.
- Plan layout of construction, installation, or repairs.
- Review blueprints or specifications to determine work requirements.
- Measure work site dimensions.
- Estimate materials requirements for projects.
- Create construction or installation diagrams.
- Remove worn, damaged or outdated materials from work areas.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
Abilities
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.6 | |
| Trunk Strength | 3.6 | |
| Extent Flexibility | 3.6 | |
| Static Strength | 3.5 | |
| Near Vision | 3.5 | |
| Visualization | 3.3 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.3 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.3 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.3 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.1 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.1 | |
| Multilimb Coordination | 3.1 | |
| Stamina | 3.1 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.0 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.0 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.0 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.0 | |
| Dynamic Strength | 3.0 | |
| Far Vision | 3.0 | |
| Depth Perception | 3.0 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 2.9 | |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.9 |
Essential skills
| Monitoring | 3.1 | |
| Mathematics | 3.0 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 | |
| Active Listening | 2.9 | |
| Speaking | 2.9 |
Transferable skills
| Coordination | 3.1 | |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.0 | |
| Time Management | 3.0 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.9 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.9 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Tools & technology
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Typical entry-level education
- No formal educational credential · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Preparation level
- SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Construction Trades . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| High School Diploma | 69.2% | |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 22.3% | |
| Some College Courses | 7.2% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 1.3% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 7.0 | |
| Conventional | 3.5 | |
| Artistic | 1.9 | |
| Social | 1.3 | |
| Investigative | 1.1 |
Interest areas
Work styles
| Attention to Detail | 2.1 | |
| Dependability | 2.1 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $32,830 |
| 25th percentile | $39,140 |
| Median (50th) | $49,850 |
| 75th percentile | $65,530 |
| 90th percentile | $83,200 |
| People employed | 14,980 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Construction · Sector | 9,160 | $50,590 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 4,940 | $50,290 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 330 | $45,850 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 180 | $37,750 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 140 | $47,100 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors · National industry | 80 | $69,850 |
| Accommodation and Food Services · Sector | 50 | — |
| Casino Hotels · National industry | 50 | $66,320 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 30 | $58,310 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | — | $54,800 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | — | $34,210 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Construction · Sector | 11.61× | 9,160 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 3.26× | 4,940 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 0.56× | 330 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 0.21× | 180 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 0.11× | 140 |
Related occupations
Part of the Construction career cluster.
- Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles · 47-2042.00 Compare →
- Tile and Stone Setters · 47-2044.00 Compare →
- Floor Sanders and Finishers · 47-2043.00 Compare →
- Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall · 47-2131.00 Compare →
- Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers · 47-2081.00 Compare →
- Furniture Finishers · 51-7021.00 Compare →
- Paperhangers · 47-2142.00 Compare →
- Terrazzo Workers and Finishers · 47-2053.00 Compare →
- Insulation Workers, Mechanical · 47-2132.00 Compare →
- Upholsterers · 51-6093.00 Compare →
- Carpenters · 47-2031.00 Compare →
- Plasterers and Stucco Masons · 47-2161.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Carpet Installers — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- No formal educational credential · typical entry level
- Job zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Construction Trades · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 3rd percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Carpet Installers show 9th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 1,100 annual U.S. openings
- Carpet Installers rank in the 9th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 1,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be declining (-9.6%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $49,850, across about 14,980 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Carpet Installers show 9th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 1,100 annual U.S. openings • Carpet Installers rank in the 9th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 1,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be declining (-9.6%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $49,850, across about 14,980 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Carpet Installers". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-2041-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Carpet Installers." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-2041-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Carpet Installers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-2041-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-47-2041-00,
title = {Carpet Installers},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-2041-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.