Best colleges for Upholstery/Upholsterer
A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to install springs, filling, padding, covering and finishing on items such as furniture, automobile seats, caskets, mattresses, and bedsprings.
5 U.S. institutions graduated 28 Upholstery/Upholsterer students in 2024–25 (IPEDS). It is CIP 48.0303, a specialization of Leatherworking and Upholstery (CIP 48.03), and leads most directly to the Upholsterers occupation (BLS SOC 51-6093).
About Upholstery/Upholsterer programs
A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to install springs, filling, padding, covering and finishing on items such as furniture, automobile seats, caskets, mattresses, and bedsprings.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP 2020).
The Upholstery/Upholsterer program, part of the Leatherworking and Upholstery field, prepares individuals to apply technical skills in the installation and finishing of various upholstered items, including furniture and automobile seats. This program is ideal for those interested in a hands-on career in precision production, focusing on craftsmanship and design.
Students will gain core skills in critical thinking, reading comprehension, and active listening, along with knowledge in production processes, design, and customer service. Coursework includes hands-on training in measuring, cutting, and fitting materials, as well as understanding upholstery methods and fabrics.
Credentials awarded
What Upholstery/Upholsterer graduates earned in 2024–25, by award level (IPEDS completions).
- Award of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 academic year28 graduates / yr · 5 institutions100%
Graduates over time
Upholstery/Upholsterer completions reported to IPEDS each year, all award levels combined.
| Year | Graduates |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 377 |
| 2013 | 228 |
| 2014 | 218 |
| 2015 | 153 |
| 2016 | 154 |
| 2017 | 126 |
| 2018 | 136 |
| 2019 | 112 |
| 2020 | 104 |
| 2021 | 54 |
| 2022 | 46 |
| 2023 | 31 |
| 2024 | 26 |
| 2025 | 28 |
Top 5 institutions for Upholstery/Upholsterer, ranked by graduates
Graduates (IPEDS completions), 2024–25. Award levels show which credentials each institution confers in this specialization.
| # | Institution | Graduates / yr | Grad rate | Net price | Field starting salary* (1 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Institucion Chaviano de Mayaguez Mayaguez, PRPrivate for-profitAward of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 academic year | 10 | 54% | $4,482 | $18,872 |
| 2 | Savannah Technical College Savannah, GAPublicAward of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 academic year | 8 | 42% | — | — |
| 3 | Clover Park Technical College Lakewood, WAPublicAward of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 academic year | 7 | 43% | — | — |
| 4 | Riverside City College Riverside, CAPublicAward of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 academic year | 2 | 37% | — | — |
| 5 | San Bernardino Valley College San Bernardino, CAPublicAward of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 academic year | 1 | 28% | — | — |
* Field starting salary (1 yr): median earnings 1 year after graduation for the broader Leatherworking and Upholstery field (CIP 48.03) at these institutions; College Scorecard does not publish earnings at the 6-digit level.
Offered in 4 states & territories
Where Upholstery/Upholsterer graduates come from. Each state links to all Leatherworking and Upholstery programs offered there.
| State | Institutions | Graduates / yr | Top institution by graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico | 1 | 10 | Institucion Chaviano de Mayaguez10 / yr |
| Georgia | 1 | 8 | Savannah Technical College8 / yr |
| Washington | 1 | 7 | Clover Park Technical College7 / yr |
| California | 2 | 3 | Riverside City College2 / yr |
Careers & outlook
The payoff after graduation: occupation 51-6093, Upholsterers, and its national outlook.
Graduates of the Upholstery/Upholsterer program can pursue careers as upholsterers. The job outlook indicates a decline in growth at -1.8%, with approximately 2,200 annual openings. The median wage for this occupation is $46,190, and typically requires a high school diploma or equivalent.
Top-paying metros
Career pathways for CIP 48.0303
The occupations the NCES crosswalk maps this 6-digit code to, with BLS pay and 10-year outlook.
| Occupation | US median pay | Growth | Openings / yr | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Upholsterersprimary SOC 51-6093 | $46,340 | -1.8% Decline | ~2,200 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- 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.
- Training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Related careers
Skills & knowledge in Upholstery/Upholsterer programs
From the U.S. Dept. of Labor for the occupation this specialization most leads to.
Skills you'll build
Knowledge areas
Abilities that matter most
Day-to-day work activities
What graduates do on the job
- 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.
- Examine furniture frames, upholstery, springs, and webbing to locate defects.
Tools and technology used
Other Leatherworking and Upholstery specializations
The 2 other 6-digit CIP codes under Leatherworking and Upholstery (CIP 48.03).
Show 2 more CIP codes with no U.S. programs reported+
- Shoe48.0304
- Leatherworking and Upholstery48.0399
No institution reported completions for these codes in the latest IPEDS year, so they have no page.
Common questions
What is the duration of the Upholstery/Upholsterer program?+
The program awards credentials for at least 12 weeks but less than 1 academic year.
What skills will I learn in this program?+
You will learn critical thinking, design, customer service, and various upholstery techniques.
What is the job outlook for upholsterers?+
The job outlook shows a decline of -1.8%, with about 2,200 annual openings.
What is the median wage for upholsterers?+
The median wage for upholsterers is $46,190.
What is the CIP code for Upholstery/Upholsterer?+
Upholstery/Upholsterer is CIP 48.0303 in the NCES Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP 2020), a 6-digit specialization within Leatherworking and Upholstery (CIP 48.03). NCES defines it as: A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to install springs, filling, padding, covering and finishing on items such as furniture, automobile seats, caskets, mattresses, and bedsprings.
How many institutions offer Upholstery/Upholsterer programs?+
5 U.S. institutions reported Upholstery/Upholsterer graduates in IPEDS 2024–25, across 4 states & territories, awarding 28 credentials in the year. That is 100.0% of all Leatherworking and Upholstery graduates.
How much do Upholstery/Upholsterer graduates earn?+
Earnings are not published at the 6-digit CIP level by any federal source. The Upholsterers occupation, which Upholstery/Upholsterer most directly leads to, pays a median of $46,340 a year nationally (BLS OEWS May 2025), and graduates of the broader Leatherworking and Upholstery field report median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary) of $18,872, College Scorecard.
About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
Program definitions are from the NCES Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP 2020). Skills, knowledge, abilities, work activities, tools, and job zones are from the O*NET database by the U.S. Department of Labor, used under the CC BY 4.0 license. This specialization accounts for nearly all Leatherworking and Upholstery graduates, so its figures match the Leatherworking and Upholstery program page.
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