Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers Salary: $53,741 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 16,290 tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers nationally earn a mean of $53,741. Employment in the series shown rose about 23% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.8% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers: what the data shows
Common questions about tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers?
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-6052.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 16,290 workers.
What does a tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Controlling Machines and Processes, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Thinking Creatively, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $40,860 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $53,741 — 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 | $38,300 |
| 25th percentile | $40,957 |
| Median (50th) | $46,569 |
| 75th percentile | $55,618 |
| 90th percentile | $83,001 |
What education do you need?
For Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers, 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 Time Management, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Production and Processing, Administration and Management. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.8% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -17.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -32.0%.
Current U.S. headcount: 16,290.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 16,290 | 21.3% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 16,160 | 21.2% |
| Retail Trade | 6,070 | 8.0% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 5,210 | 6.8% |
| Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers | 4,850 | 6.3% |
| Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers | 4,800 | 6.3% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers workforce.
Employment Over Time
16,290 Workforce in 2023
The Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$53,741 Average Wage
In 2023, Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers earned an average of $53,741.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
Salary distribution for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
Employment Growth Projections
-3.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
6,844 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -17.5%
5,644 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -32.0%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
Wage Trends by Industry
4.4% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
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: 2,240 employees, $52,380 avg wage
- TX: 1,840 employees, $37,710 avg wage
- FL: 1,410 employees, $38,260 avg wage
- NY: 1,400 employees, $59,520 avg wage
- NJ: 710 employees, $53,860 avg wage
- MN: 600 employees, $46,190 avg wage
- SC: 550 employees, $33,160 avg wage
- PA: 500 employees, $42,830 avg wage
- MA: 490 employees, $47,530 avg wage
- MI: 490 employees, $36,710 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,630 employees, $61,180 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 1,220 employees, $58,150 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 450 employees, $47,730 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 400 employees, $39,160 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 340 employees, $48,900 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 280 employees, $40,740 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 250 employees, $48,130 avg wage
- San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX: 230 employees, $41,230 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 220 employees, $47,960 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 220 employees, $42,010 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers in 2023 was 16,290 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
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 Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers workers.
Education level distribution for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
Skills
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers need many skills, but most especially Time Management, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness.
Required skills for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers include Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Production and Processing, Administration and Management, Economics and Accounting.
Knowledge areas required for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers include Arm-Hand Steadiness, Finger Dexterity, Visualization, Near Vision, Oral Comprehension.
Required abilities for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
Daily Activities
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers spend their time on activities such as Controlling Machines and Processes, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Thinking Creatively, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge.
Most important work activities for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.
About
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers
The average yearly wage for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers was $53,741 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-6052 - Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers reports an average salary of $53,741.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 16,290 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -3.8%, 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.