Sewers, Hand Salary: $40,228 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 2,240 sewers, hand nationally earn a mean of $40,228. Employment in the series shown fell about 57% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 15.3% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Sewers, Hand: what the data shows
Common questions about sewers, hand careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a sewers, hand?
Sewers, Hand is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-6051.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 2,240 workers.
What does a sewers, hand do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Thinking Creatively, Handling and Moving Objects, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a sewers, hand make?
BLS national median annual wage: $33,760 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $40,228 — 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 | $34,144 |
| 25th percentile | $34,144 |
| Median (50th) | $36,473 |
| 75th percentile | $46,866 |
| 90th percentile | $48,713 |
What education do you need?
For Sewers, Hand, 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 Judgment and Decision Making, Time Management, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Speaking, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Design, Sales and Marketing, Production and Processing. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is sewers, hand in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 15.3% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -56.3%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -80.9%.
Current U.S. headcount: 2,240.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do sewers, hands work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 2,240 | 24.7% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 2,230 | 24.6% |
| Manufacturing | 1,210 | 13.4% |
| Retail Trade | 440 | 4.9% |
| Apparel Manufacturing | 420 | 4.6% |
| Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing | 380 | 4.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Sewers, Hand in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Sewers, Hand workforce.
Employment Over Time
2,240 Workforce in 2023
The Sewers, Hand workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Sewers, Hand.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$40,228 Average Wage
In 2023, Sewers, Hand earned an average of $40,228.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Sewers, Hand.
Salary distribution for Sewers, Hand.
Employment Growth Projections
-15.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
131 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -56.3%
57 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -80.9%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Sewers, Hand.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Sewers, Hand and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Sewers, Hand employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Sewers, Hand.
Wage Trends by Industry
1.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 7.7% growth (Current: $40,228)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Sewers, Hand.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Sewers, Hand.
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:
- TX: 250 employees, $27,600 avg wage
- NY: 220 employees, $38,500 avg wage
- PA: 220 employees, $33,240 avg wage
- FL: 190 employees, $36,710 avg wage
- IL: 170 employees, $37,220 avg wage
- CA: 150 employees, $39,210 avg wage
- GA: 80 employees, $38,660 avg wage
- MS: 70 employees, $22,250 avg wage
- MA: 60 employees, $37,860 avg wage
- MO: 60 employees, $33,640 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Sewers, Hand.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 210 employees, $38,820 avg wage
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL: 70 employees, $33,470 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 40 employees, $43,730 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Sewers, Hand.
Diversity
Demographic information on Sewers, Hand in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Sewers, Hand in 2023 was 2,240 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Sewers, Hand.
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 Sewers, Hand.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Sewers, Hand.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Sewers, Hand in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Sewers, Hand.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Sewers, Hand workers.
Education level distribution for Sewers, Hand.
Skills
Sewers, Hand need many skills, but most especially Judgment and Decision Making, Time Management, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Monitoring.
Required skills for Sewers, Hand.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Sewers, Hand.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Sewers, Hand include Customer and Personal Service, Design, Sales and Marketing, Production and Processing, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Sewers, Hand.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Sewers, Hand include Arm-Hand Steadiness, Finger Dexterity, Manual Dexterity, Near Vision, Control Precision.
Required abilities for Sewers, Hand.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Sewers, Hand.
Daily Activities
Sewers, Hand spend their time on activities such as Thinking Creatively, Handling and Moving Objects, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work.
Most important work activities for Sewers, Hand.
About
Sewers, Hand
The average yearly wage for Sewers, Hand was $40,228 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-6051 - Sewers, Hand
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Sewers, Hand reports an average salary of $40,228.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 2,240 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -15.3%, 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.