Sewing Machine Operators Salary: $40,967 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 109,590 sewing machine operators nationally earn a mean of $40,967. Employment in the series shown fell about 18% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 7.0% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Sewing Machine Operators: what the data shows
Common questions about sewing machine operators careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a sewing machine operators?
Sewing Machine Operators is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-6031.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 109,590 workers.
What does a sewing machine operators do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Handling and Moving Objects, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Controlling Machines and Processes, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a sewing machine operators make?
BLS national median annual wage: $36,000 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $40,967 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $35,406 |
| 25th percentile | $36,443 |
| Median (50th) | $37,971 |
| 75th percentile | $43,276 |
| 90th percentile | $49,339 |
What education do you need?
For Sewing Machine Operators, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Time Management, Judgment and Decision Making, Quality Control Analysis, and knowledge areas including English Language, Production and Processing, Mathematics, Education and Training. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is sewing machine operators in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 7.0% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -30.6%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -51.9%.
Current U.S. headcount: 109,590.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do sewing machine operatorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 109,590 | 20.0% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 109,130 | 19.9% |
| Manufacturing | 79,690 | 14.5% |
| Apparel Manufacturing | 26,230 | 4.8% |
| Textile Product Mills | 24,050 | 4.4% |
| Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing | 22,310 | 4.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Sewing Machine Operators in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Sewing Machine Operators workforce.
Employment Over Time
109,590 Workforce in 2023
The Sewing Machine Operators workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Sewing Machine Operators.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$40,967 Average Wage
In 2023, Sewing Machine Operators earned an average of $40,967.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Sewing Machine Operators.
Salary distribution for Sewing Machine Operators.
Employment Growth Projections
-7.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
40,590 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -30.6%
28,164 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -51.9%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Sewing Machine Operators.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Sewing Machine Operators and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Sewing Machine Operators employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Sewing Machine Operators.
Wage Trends by Industry
5.6% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Sewing Machine Operators.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Sewing Machine Operators.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 14,780 employees, $39,930 avg wage
- NC: 8,580 employees, $36,250 avg wage
- TX: 6,310 employees, $31,310 avg wage
- FL: 6,190 employees, $33,210 avg wage
- NY: 5,640 employees, $40,830 avg wage
- PA: 4,510 employees, $35,580 avg wage
- OH: 4,130 employees, $35,930 avg wage
- IL: 4,120 employees, $37,750 avg wage
- GA: 3,810 employees, $33,350 avg wage
- MI: 3,550 employees, $38,020 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Sewing Machine Operators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 10,400 employees, $39,210 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 6,160 employees, $40,020 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 3,370 employees, $37,980 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 3,370 employees, $31,660 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 2,400 employees, $33,960 avg wage
- Mayaguez, PR: 2,280 employees, $19,870 avg wage
- Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC: 1,980 employees, $44,740 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 1,760 employees, $35,810 avg wage
- Greensboro-High Point, NC: 1,660 employees, $33,620 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 1,650 employees, $35,640 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Sewing Machine Operators.
Diversity
Demographic information on Sewing Machine Operators in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Sewing Machine Operators in 2023 was 109,590 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Sewing Machine Operators.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Sewing Machine Operators.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Sewing Machine Operators.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Sewing Machine Operators in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Sewing Machine Operators.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Sewing Machine Operators workers.
Education level distribution for Sewing Machine Operators.
Skills
Sewing Machine Operators need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Time Management, Judgment and Decision Making.
Required skills for Sewing Machine Operators.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Sewing Machine Operators.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Sewing Machine Operators include English Language, Production and Processing, Mathematics, Education and Training, Customer and Personal Service.
Knowledge areas required for Sewing Machine Operators.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Sewing Machine Operators include Arm-Hand Steadiness, Manual Dexterity, Control Precision, Near Vision, Finger Dexterity.
Required abilities for Sewing Machine Operators.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Sewing Machine Operators.
Daily Activities
Sewing Machine Operators spend their time on activities such as Handling and Moving Objects, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Controlling Machines and Processes, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Sewing Machine Operators.
About
Sewing Machine Operators
The average yearly wage for Sewing Machine Operators was $40,967 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-6031 - Sewing Machine Operators
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Sewing Machine Operators reports an average salary of $40,967.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 109,590 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -7.0%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.