What is the true cost of hiring carpet installers?

The true cost is typically 1.35x the base wage after adding payroll taxes, workers comp, health insurance, and other burden costs. For carpet installers earning $22.55/hr, the loaded rate would be approximately $30.44/hr.

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SOC 47-2041Finishing Trades

Carpet Installers

Lay and install carpet from rolls or blocks on floors. Install padding and trim flooring materials.

Carpet Installers earn a median $22.55/hr ($46,900/yr). Top-paying state: Hawaii at $33.55/hr. True labor cost with burden: ~$30.44/hr.

$22.55

Median Hourly

$24.22

Mean Hourly

$46,900

Median Annual

24,100

Employment

Wage Distribution

10th

$14.22/hr

25th

$17.55/hr

Median

$22.55/hr

75th

$29.22/hr

90th

$38.55/hr

Source: BLS OEWS May 2024. Percentiles represent the wage below which a given percentage of workers fall.

Top-Paying States

#	State	Median Hourly
1	Hawaii	$33.55
2	Washington	$31.22
3	Minnesota	$30.88
4	Massachusetts	$29.55
5	Illinois	$28.22

Top-Paying Metro Areas

#	Metro Area	Median Hourly
1	Honolulu, HI	$36.22
2	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$34.88
3	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	$33.55
4	San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA	$32.22
5	Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	$31.55

True Labor Cost: ~$30.44/hr

The base wage of $22.55/hr becomes approximately $30.44/hr after applying a 1.35x burden rate (payroll taxes, insurance, benefits, overhead).

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Frequently Asked Questions

The national median salary for carpet installers is $46,900 per year ($22.55/hour). The mean hourly wage is $24.22. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) earn $14.22/hr while top earners (90th percentile) make $38.55/hr.

The top-paying states for carpet installers are Hawaii ($33.55/hr), Washington ($31.22/hr), Minnesota ($30.88/hr), Massachusetts ($29.55/hr), Illinois ($28.22/hr). These higher wages typically reflect strong union presence, high cost of living, and prevailing wage laws.

The true cost is typically 1.35x the base wage after adding payroll taxes (7.65% FICA), workers compensation insurance (varies by trade), general liability, health insurance, retirement contributions, and paid time off. For carpet installers earning $22.55/hr, the fully loaded rate would be approximately $30.44/hr.

According to BLS data, there are approximately 24,100 carpet installers employed in the United States.