Glaziers
Also called: Architectural Glazier, Art Glass Setter, Auto Glass Tech (Automobile Glass Technician), Commercial Glazier, Field Glazier, Glass Fitter, Glass Glazier, Glass Inserter
Install glass in windows, skylights, store fronts, and display cases, or on surfaces, such as building fronts, interior walls, ceilings, and tabletops.
What glaziers do
Typical tasks
- Read and interpret blueprints or specifications to determine size, shape, color, type, or thickness of glass, location of framing, installation procedures, or staging or scaffolding materials required.
- Determine plumb of walls or ceilings, using plumb lines and levels.
- Install pre-assembled metal or wood frameworks for windows or doors to be fitted with glass panels, using hand tools.
- Fabricate or install metal sashes or moldings for glass installation, using aluminum or steel framing.
- Operate cranes or hoists with suction cups to lift large, heavy pieces of glass.
- Set glass doors into frames and bolt metal hinges, handles, locks, or other hardware to attach doors to frames and walls.
- Cut, fit, install, repair, or replace glass or glass substitutes, such as plastic or aluminum, in building interiors or exteriors or in furniture or other products.
- Drive trucks to installation sites and unload mirrors, glass equipment, or tools.
- Load and arrange glass or mirrors onto delivery trucks, using suction cups or cranes to lift glass.
- Measure mirrors and dimensions of areas to be covered to determine work procedures.
- Cut and attach mounting strips, metal or wood moldings, rubber gaskets, or metal clips to surfaces in preparation for mirror installation.
- Pack spaces between moldings and glass with glazing compounds and trim excess material with glazing knives.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Glaziers salary
The median annual wage for glaziers is $57,080 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $37,300 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $89,790. The mean annual wage is $59,720.
The mean hourly wage of $28.00 is 3.9× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Glaziers (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $57,080 → in 3 years $62,700 → in 5 years $66,800 → in 10 years $78,200 (10-year range $67,300–$90,800). The model assumes pay growth of +3.2% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Glaziers
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Glaziers? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Glaziers
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Glaziers United States | サッシ取付 Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $57,080 | ¥4.67M ≈ $29,690 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $78,200 | ¥6.50M |
| Outlook score | 51 | 61 |
| AI replacement risk | 9% Very low | 25% Low |
| Workers | 58K | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Glaziers
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★☆☆☆ Fairly easy (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become glaziers
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as glaziers
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.