How to Become a Glazier: Certification, Licensing & Pay
Glaziers select, cut, install, and replace the glass used in windows, storefronts, curtain walls, mirrors, and skylights on homes and commercial buildings. Most glaziers train through a paid apprenticeship rather than a four-year degree, similar to painters and other finishing trades.
Apprenticeship Path
Many glaziers train through a 3- to 4-year apprenticeship sponsored by a union — most commonly the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), which represents glaziers alongside painters — a contractor association, or an employer. Apprentices combine paid on-the-job training with technical instruction in glass and glazing systems, blueprint reading, and safety. Others enter informally, picking up the trade on the job under an experienced glazier.
Certification & Licensing
Most states don't license individual glaziers — a completed apprenticeship earns a journey-level card from the sponsoring union or program rather than a government license. Some states and cities require a contractor's license to run a glazing business, and work at height often requires OSHA fall-protection training.
Whether a contractor's license is required, and what it takes to get one, varies by state and locality — verify current requirements with your state's contractor licensing board before you rely on them.
Glazier Pay
The median glazier in the US earned $57,080 per year as of May 2025 — the middle 80% earned between $37,300 and $89,790.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Glaziers (SOC 47-2121), May 2025.
OEWS is published once a year, not continuously — "May 2025" is BLS's label for that annual release, not a live figure. See methodology.
Job Outlook
The BLS projects employment of glaziers to grow 3% from 2024–34, about as fast as the average for all occupations, with about 5,100 openings projected each year on average (most from workers transferring to other occupations or retiring, not net-new growth alone).
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Glaziers, 2024–34 projections.
Keep Exploring
Sources & Last Updated
Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Glaziers (SOC 47-2121), May 2025.
Job outlook: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Glaziers, 2024–34 projections.
Licensing and apprenticeship requirements vary by state — start with the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational license finder or apprenticeship.gov.
Full source list: methodology.
Last updated: May 2025.