Carpet Installers
Lay and install carpet from rolls or blocks on floors. Install padding and trim flooring materials.
13,780 people do this job in the US. $50,340 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 17%
- 0%
- 83%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 16%. Today's estimate: 17%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 17 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cut and trim carpet to fit along wall edges, openings, and projections, finishing the edges with a wall trimmer.Done daily by most who do it. | 15% | 50 min25 min to 1.4 h | Stays with people | |
| Roll out, measure, mark, and cut carpeting to size with a carpet knife, following floor sketches and allowing extra carpet for final fitting.Done daily by most who do it. | 14% | 50 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Plan the layout of the carpet, allowing for expected traffic patterns and placing seams for best appearance and longest wear.Done daily by most who do it. | 14% | 1.1 h25 min to 1.7 h | 98%Half by now | |
| Install carpet on some floors using adhesive, following prescribed method.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 11% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.1 h | Stays with people | |
| 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.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 1.3 h38 min to 2.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Cut and install vinyl composition tile or vinyl base.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 8% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Join edges of carpet and seam edges where necessary, by sewing or by using tape with glue and heated carpet iron.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 50 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Clean up before and after installation, including vacuuming carpet and discarding remnant pieces.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Cut carpet padding to size and install padding, following prescribed method.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 33 min17 min to 1.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Nail tack strips around area to be carpeted or use old strips to attach edges of new carpet.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 33 min17 min to 1.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Move furniture from area to be carpeted and remove old carpet and padding.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| 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.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles3% now, 3% by 2028
- Tile and Stone Setters4% now, 4% by 2028
- Floor Sanders and Finishers0% now, 0% by 2028
- Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall2% now, 2% by 2028
- Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers8% now, 8% by 2028
- Furniture Finishers4% now, 4% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).