Upholsterers build complex problem solving, judgment and decision making and time management skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Furniture Finishers (93%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Furniture Finishers | 93% | $44,540 | −4% | None |
| 2 | Carpet Installers | 87% | $50,340 | +9% | None |
| 3 | Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters | 82% | $51,330 | +11% | None |
| 4 | Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic | 80% | $46,170 | 0% | None |
| 5 | Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters | 79% | $46,680 | +1% | None |
| 6 | Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand | 79% | $42,660 | −8% | None |
| 7 | Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic | 79% | $63,870 | +38% | None |
| 8 | Stonemasons | 79% | $57,390 | +24% | None |
| 9 | Stone Cutters and Carvers, Manufacturing | 78% | $46,170Pay for the broader BLS group “Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic” | Not compared | None |
| 10 | Tile and Stone Setters | 78% | $55,690 | +20% | None |
Compared with Upholsterers, median $46,340. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as upholsterers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
93% skill match · $44,540 · −4% pay
Instructing
87% skill match · $50,340 · +9% pay
Coordination · Quality Control Analysis
82% skill match · $51,330 · +11% pay
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Furniture Finishers (93% skill match, median $44,540), Carpet Installers (87% skill match, median $50,340) and Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters (82% skill match, median $51,330), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 19 pay more than upholsterers at the median. The biggest increases: Terrazzo Workers and Finishers (+64%, $76,170), Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic (+38%, $63,870) and Brickmasons and Blockmasons (+34%, $62,120).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.