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 →Upholsterers
Occupation · SOC 51-6093.00
Make, repair, or replace upholstery for household furniture or transportation vehicles.
Also called: Box Spring Upholsterer · Upholstered Goods Crafter · Upholsterer · Upholstery Cutter · Furniture Upholsterer · Inside Upholsterer · Sofa Back Upholsterer · Stapler · Trimmer · Upholstery Trimmer · Aircraft Seat Upholsterer · Arm Maker
Job family: Production Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-51-6093-00/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 (-1.8% by 2034)
- 2,200 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $46,190/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
17th-percentile task overlap — yet about 2,200 openings a year (-1.8% 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 | 8th | -1.3 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 30th | 0.3 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 23rd | 0.1 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.2), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.3). 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.
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 0.4 · 43rd percentile among occupations · Moderate
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Draw cutting lines on material following patterns, templates, sketches, or blueprints, using chalk, pencils, paint, or other methods. | 0.2% |
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 · -1.8% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 2,200 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 22,700 → 22,300 |
“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.
Upholsterers sits at the 26th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
18% mean task exposure (2025)
26th percentile of 427 placed occupations
+1 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Upholsterers and Related Workers · 7534 | 18% | 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 22 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Fit, install, and secure material on frames, using hand tools, power tools, glue, cement, or staples. Core · importance 4.5
- Measure and cut new covering materials, using patterns and measuring and cutting instruments, following sketches and design specifications. Core · importance 4.5
- Build furniture up with loose fiber stuffing, cotton, felt, or foam padding to form smooth, rounded surfaces. Core · importance 4.5
- Make, restore, or create custom upholstered furniture, using hand tools and knowledge of fabrics and upholstery methods. Core · importance 4.4
- Read work orders, and apply knowledge and experience with materials to determine types and amounts of materials required to cover workpieces. Core · importance 4.3
- Draw cutting lines on material following patterns, templates, sketches, or blueprints, using chalk, pencils, paint, or other methods. Supplemental · importance 4.3
- Stretch webbing and fabric, using webbing stretchers. Supplemental · importance 4.2
- Operate sewing machines or sew upholstery by hand to seam cushions and join various sections of covering material. Supplemental · importance 4.2
- Examine furniture frames, upholstery, springs, and webbing to locate defects. Core · importance 4.2
- Adjust or replace webbing, padding, or springs, and secure them in place. Core · importance 4.2
- Sew rips or tears in material, or create tufting, using needles and thread. Core · importance 4.1
- Design upholstery cover patterns and cutting plans, based on sketches, customer descriptions, or blueprints. Supplemental · importance 4.1
- Maintain records of time required to perform each job. Supplemental · importance 4.1
- Remove covering, webbing, padding, or defective springs from workpieces, using hand tools such as hammers and tack pullers. Core · importance 4.1
- Attach fasteners, grommets, buttons, buckles, ornamental trim, and other accessories to covers or frames, using hand tools. Core · importance 4.0
- Discuss upholstery fabrics, colors, and styles with customers, and provide cost estimates. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Pick up and deliver furniture. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Repair furniture frames and refinish exposed wood. Core · importance 3.9
- Attach bindings or apply solutions to edges of cut material to prevent raveling. Supplemental · importance 3.8
- Interweave and fasten strips of webbing to the backs and undersides of furniture, using small hand tools and fasteners. Core · importance 3.8
- Collaborate with interior designers to decorate rooms and coordinate furnishing fabrics. Supplemental · importance 3.8
- Make, repair, or replace automobile upholstery and convertible and vinyl tops, using knowledge of fabric and upholstery methods. Supplemental · importance 3.0
Work activities
- Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment.
- Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.
- Assemble garments or textile products.
- Examine condition of property or products.
- Attach decorative or functional accessories to products.
- Repair furniture or upholstery.
- Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements.
- Draw guide lines or markings on materials or workpieces using patterns or other references.
- Measure materials to mark reference points, cutting lines, or other indicators.
- Cut fabrics.
- Record operational or production data.
- Estimate costs of products, services, or materials.
- Confer with customers or designers to determine order specifications.
- Shape surfaces or edges of wood workpieces.
- Sew clothing or other articles.
- Operate sewing equipment.
- Move furniture.
- Repair textiles or apparel.
- Prepare fabrics or materials for processing or production.
- Adjust fabrics or other materials during garment production.
- Design templates or patterns.
- Exchange information with colleagues.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Abilities
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 4.0 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 4.0 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 4.0 | |
| Near Vision | 3.9 | |
| Control Precision | 3.8 | |
| Multilimb Coordination | 3.8 | |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 3.8 | |
| Visualization | 3.6 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.3 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.3 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.1 | |
| Trunk Strength | 3.1 | |
| Extent Flexibility | 3.1 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.0 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.0 | |
| Originality | 3.0 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.0 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.0 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.0 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.0 | |
| Static Strength | 3.0 | |
| Depth Perception | 3.0 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.0 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.9 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 2.9 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.9 |
Essential skills
| Critical Thinking | 3.5 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.1 | |
| Active Listening | 3.0 | |
| Speaking | 3.0 | |
| Active Learning | 3.0 | |
| Monitoring | 3.0 |
Knowledge
| Production and Processing | 3.1 | |
| Design | 3.0 |
Transferable skills
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 | |
| Time Management | 3.0 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.9 | |
| Service Orientation | 2.9 | |
| Operations Monitoring | 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
| Example | Category | |
|---|---|---|
| Autodesk AutoCAD | Computer aided design CAD software | Hot technology |
| Intuit QuickBooks | Accounting software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Presentation software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Windows | Operating system software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | Hot technology |
| LibreOffice Draw | Process mapping and design software |
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
- High school diploma or equivalent · 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: Precision Production . 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 | 56.2% | |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 43.8% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 6.8 | |
| Artistic | 2.9 | |
| Conventional | 2.9 | |
| Investigative | 1.8 | |
| Social | 1.4 |
Interest areas
| Physical/Manual Labor | 4.8 | |
| Construction/Woodwork | 3.5 | |
| Visual Arts | 3.4 | |
| Applied Arts and Design | 3.1 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 1.6 | |
| Engineering | 1.5 | |
| Transportation/Machine Operation | 1.3 | |
| Performing Arts | 1.2 | |
| Personal Service | 1.2 |
Work styles
| Attention to Detail | 2.2 | |
| Dependability | 2.0 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $32,190 |
| 25th percentile | $37,200 |
| Median (50th) | $46,190 |
| 75th percentile | $51,740 |
| 90th percentile | $63,600 |
| People employed | 20,990 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing · Sector | 12,150 | $46,190 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 5,770 | $45,900 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 850 | $46,970 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 720 | $46,040 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 650 | $46,890 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 430 | $39,970 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 410 | $55,440 |
| Accommodation and Food Services · Sector | 170 | $53,600 |
| Casino Hotels · National industry | 170 | $52,720 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing · Sector | 130 | $49,220 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector | 70 | $53,760 |
| Construction · Sector | 60 | $49,790 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 9.58× | 5,770 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 6.99× | 12,150 |
| Casino Hotels · National industry | 3.71× | 170 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 2× | 720 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 0.69× | 850 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 0.52× | 430 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 0.41× | 410 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing · Sector | 0.4× | 130 |
Related occupations
Part of the Advanced Manufacturing career cluster.
- Furniture Finishers · 51-7021.00 Compare →
- Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters · 51-7011.00 Compare →
- Sewers, Hand · 51-6051.00 Compare →
- Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers · 51-6041.00 Compare →
- Sewing Machine Operators · 51-6031.00 Compare →
- Carpet Installers · 47-2041.00 Compare →
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand · 51-9022.00 Compare →
- Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic · 51-9195.00 Compare →
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters · 51-2041.00 Compare →
- Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers · 51-9123.00 Compare →
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers · 51-2011.00 Compare →
- Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing · 51-7042.00 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 Upholsterers — 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.
- High school diploma or equivalent · typical entry level
- Job zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Precision Production · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 26th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Upholsterers show 17th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 2,200 annual U.S. openings
- Upholsterers rank in the 17th 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 2,200 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 (-1.8%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $46,190, across about 20,990 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Upholsterers show 17th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 2,200 annual U.S. openings • Upholsterers rank in the 17th 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 2,200 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 (-1.8%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $46,190, across about 20,990 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Upholsterers". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-6093-00 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
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- 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. "Upholsterers." 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; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); 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-51-6093-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Upholsterers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-6093-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-51-6093-00,
title = {Upholsterers},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); 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-51-6093-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.