Career Explorer Production
Human edge, steady
Upholsterers
Make, repair, or replace upholstery for household furniture or transportation vehicles.
More resilient than most: more resilient than 63% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by -2.3% by 2035, expected to shrink. The work leans on physical dexterity and creative vision.
AI struggles with much of this work. Hiring is expected to grow slower than average, or to shrink.
- Median pay (2025)
- $46,340
- Job growth to 2035
- -2.3%
- Openings a year
- 1,700
- People doing it (2025)
- 22,700
- Usual route in
- High school diploma, then moderate on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment
- Inspect characteristics or conditions of materials or products
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Repair workpieces or products
- Position materials or components for assembly
- Position workpieces or materials on equipment
What the work looks like
- 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.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- Fewer of these jobs, as the increase in affordable furniture and relative high repair costs result in more consumers choosing to replace furniture such as couches and sofas rather than reupholster them.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plasticHuman edge, growing, Index 96, +5.8%
- Furniture finishersHuman edge, steady, Index 65, -3.5%
- Industrial machinery mechanicsHuman edge, growing, Index 94, +17.8%
- Musical instrument repairers and tunersHuman edge, steady, Index 74, +1.9%
Also known as: Box Spring Upholsterer, Upholstered Goods Crafter, Upholsterer, Upholstery Cutter, Furniture Upholsterer, Inside Upholsterer, Sofa Back Upholsterer, Stapler.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.