How much do flooring installers make?
The median flooring installer in the United States earns $27.15 an hour, or $56,460 a year. The bottom 10% earn under $18.08 an hour; the top 10% clear $46.49. There are about 23,640 people doing this work nationally.
Those are US Bureau of Labor Statistics figures for employed workers, which is the honest baseline — and also the number most people are actually looking for. What you can bill as a self-employed contractor is a different question, and we cover it below.
One caveat on the occupation. There is no single BLS occupation for flooring. These figures are Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood & Hard Tiles (SOC 47-2042) — vinyl, laminate, linoleum and similar. Carpet installers (47-2041), floor sanders (47-2043) and tile and stone setters (47-2044) are tracked separately. State figures are published for 44 states.
The full range
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom 10% | $18.08 | $37,606 |
| Median | $27.15 | $56,460 |
| Average (mean) | $29.69 | $61,755 |
| Top 10% | $46.49 | $96,699 |
The top decile earns 2.6× what the bottom decile earns, and 71% above the median. That gap is the useful part of this data: it is not really one job with one wage, it is a wide range where skill, licence and market decide where you land.
Where it pays most
Alaska pays the highest median at $44.64 an hour; Montana the lowest at $18.13. That is a 2.5× difference for the same job.
Highest paying states
| State | Median hourly | Annual | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $44.64 | $92,860 | +64% |
| Massachusetts | $38.12 | $79,280 | +40% |
| Hawaii | $37.15 | $77,280 | +37% |
| Illinois | $33.60 | $69,880 | +24% |
| New York | $29.50 | $61,360 | +9% |
Lowest paying states
| State | Median hourly | Annual | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | $18.13 | $37,710 | -33% |
| Oklahoma | $18.29 | $38,030 | -33% |
| Alabama | $18.62 | $38,730 | -31% |
| Arkansas | $19.59 | $40,750 | -28% |
| Louisiana | $20.32 | $42,260 | -25% |
Cost of living explains a lot of that spread but not all of it — licensing regimes and the local mix of commercial versus residential work matter too.
What actually moves the number
Like drywall, most flooring is priced per square foot, so hourly figures understate a productive installer. Commercial resilient flooring and healthcare or education work pays above residential, and installers certified on specific manufacturer systems command more.
Employed pay vs what you can bill
Everything above measures employed flooring installers — W-2 wages. If you work for yourself, your billed rate has to cover a great deal that a wage does not: self-employment tax, insurance, vehicle and tools, unbillable hours spent quoting and chasing payment, and time lost between jobs.
A useful rule is that a self-employed rate needs to be roughly two to three times the equivalent employed wage before you are genuinely ahead. Our profit margin calculator works that out properly from your own overhead rather than a rule of thumb.
FAQ
How much do flooring installers make an hour?
The national median is $27.15 an hour. The range runs from about $18.08 at the bottom tenth to $46.49 at the top tenth, so where you sit depends heavily on licence level, specialisation and state.
What is a good salary for a flooring installer?
Above the $56,460 median puts you in the upper half nationally. Clearing $96,699 puts you in the top 10% of the occupation. Adjust for your state — the gap between Alaska and Montana is roughly 2.5×.
Which state pays flooring installers the most?
Alaska, at a median of $44.64 an hour — 64% above the national median. Cost of living offsets some of that, so compare take-home rather than headline rate.
Can flooring installers make six figures?
As an employee it is uncommon: the top 10% reach about $96,699. It is far more achievable running your own business, where you keep the margin on other people's labour as well as your own — but that is a different job, with the overhead and risk to match.
Where does this data come from?
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, 2025 release, for Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood & Hard Tiles (SOC 472042). It is the same source used across our state-by-state rate pages, so the figures are directly comparable.