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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

51-6031 Sewing Machine Operators

Operate or tend sewing machines to join, reinforce, decorate, or perform related sewing operations in the manufacture of garment or nongarment products.


National estimates for Sewing Machine Operators
Industry profile for Sewing Machine Operators
Geographic profile for Sewing Machine Operators

National estimates for Sewing Machine Operators:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Sewing Machine Operators:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
116,750 1.5 % $ 15.93 $ 33,130 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for Sewing Machine Operators:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 11.00 $ 13.61 $ 15.26 $ 17.80 $ 20.92
Annual Wage (2) $ 22,880 $ 28,320 $ 31,740 $ 37,020 $ 43,500


Industry profile for Sewing Machine Operators:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Sewing Machine Operators are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Sewing Machine Operators, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Sewing Machine Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing 26,380 36.26 $ 15.15 $ 31,510
Other Textile Product Mills 19,460 32.05 $ 15.90 $ 33,070
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only) 7,930 2.30 $ 18.12 $ 37,700
Textile Furnishings Mills 7,620 17.84 $ 15.78 $ 32,820
Printing and Related Support Activities 4,720 1.24 $ 15.73 $ 32,710

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Sewing Machine Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing 26,380 36.26 $ 15.15 $ 31,510
Other Textile Product Mills 19,460 32.05 $ 15.90 $ 33,070
Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing 3,650 30.49 $ 15.69 $ 32,630
Other Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing 2,140 17.97 $ 15.67 $ 32,590
Textile Furnishings Mills 7,620 17.84 $ 15.78 $ 32,820

Top paying industries for Sewing Machine Operators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 100 (7) $ 22.35 $ 46,490
Support Activities for Air Transportation 50 0.02 $ 22.27 $ 46,330
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 70 0.02 $ 20.89 $ 43,440
Other Motor Vehicle Dealers 30 0.02 $ 20.77 $ 43,190
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 40 (7) $ 20.72 $ 43,100


Geographic profile for Sewing Machine Operators:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Sewing Machine Operators are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Sewing Machine Operators, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of sewing machine operators by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Sewing Machine Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 15,660 0.89 1.13 $ 17.38 $ 36,150
North Carolina 9,900 2.13 2.70 $ 15.84 $ 32,950
Texas 7,960 0.61 0.78 $ 13.80 $ 28,710
Florida 7,460 0.81 1.03 $ 14.47 $ 30,100
New York 6,500 0.71 0.90 $ 17.68 $ 36,760


Map of location quotient of sewing machine operators by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Sewing Machine Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Mississippi 3,740 3.30 4.18 $ 16.00 $ 33,270
North Carolina 9,900 2.13 2.70 $ 15.84 $ 32,950
Indiana 4,380 1.42 1.79 $ 16.89 $ 35,120
Tennessee 4,030 1.29 1.64 $ 13.54 $ 28,170
Alabama 2,460 1.23 1.55 $ 12.73 $ 26,470


Map of annual mean wages of sewing machine operators by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Sewing Machine Operators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 40 0.12 0.15 $ 21.42 $ 44,550
District of Columbia 60 0.08 0.10 $ 21.25 $ 44,190
Connecticut 770 0.47 0.60 $ 19.32 $ 40,180
Washington 1,810 0.53 0.67 $ 19.08 $ 39,690
Colorado 1,180 0.42 0.54 $ 18.95 $ 39,420



Map of employment of sewing machine operators by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Sewing Machine Operators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 11,600 1.90 2.41 $ 17.12 $ 35,600
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 6,830 0.74 0.94 $ 17.90 $ 37,240
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 3,500 1.33 1.69 $ 13.94 $ 29,000
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 3,020 0.68 0.87 $ 16.36 $ 34,040
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 2,770 0.73 0.92 $ 14.34 $ 29,820
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 2,470 16.12 20.42 $ 18.96 $ 39,430
Greensboro-High Point, NC 1,740 4.93 6.24 $ 15.72 $ 32,690
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 1,670 0.61 0.78 $ 14.74 $ 30,660
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 1,660 1.31 1.66 $ 15.86 $ 32,980
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 1,510 0.54 0.69 $ 16.10 $ 33,480


Map of location quotient of sewing machine operators by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Sewing Machine Operators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 2,470 16.12 20.42 $ 18.96 $ 39,430
Dalton, GA 600 9.26 11.74 $ 15.15 $ 31,510
Elkhart-Goshen, IN 1,020 7.20 9.13 $ 17.89 $ 37,200
New Bedford, MA 460 7.01 8.88 $ 16.27 $ 33,840
Greensboro-High Point, NC 1,740 4.93 6.24 $ 15.72 $ 32,690
Cleveland, TN 180 3.94 5.00 $ 11.86 $ 24,670
Burlington, NC 240 3.78 4.79 $ 13.49 $ 28,060
Clarksville, TN-KY 300 3.21 4.07 $ 15.13 $ 31,470
Dothan, AL 160 2.74 3.47 $ 12.22 $ 25,430
Morristown, TN 120 2.52 3.19 $ 11.94 $ 24,840


Map of annual mean wages of sewing machine operators by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Sewing Machine Operators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Danbury, CT 40 0.51 0.64 $ 21.64 $ 45,020
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 210 0.18 0.23 $ 20.87 $ 43,410
Appleton, WI 110 0.92 1.17 $ 20.76 $ 43,180
Boulder, CO 130 0.66 0.84 $ 20.52 $ 42,680
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 150 0.38 0.48 $ 20.37 $ 42,380
Green Bay, WI 170 1.03 1.30 $ 20.35 $ 42,330
New Haven, CT 120 0.44 0.55 $ 20.05 $ 41,700
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 910 0.38 0.48 $ 19.87 $ 41,330
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 560 0.19 0.23 $ 19.76 $ 41,100
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 1,130 0.55 0.70 $ 19.39 $ 40,340

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Sewing Machine Operators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 3,070 13.53 17.13 $ 16.55 $ 34,430
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 710 2.83 3.59 $ 14.03 $ 29,190
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 640 3.89 4.93 $ 11.23 $ 23,360
Southern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 560 3.02 3.82 $ 15.78 $ 32,830
Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area 540 3.68 4.66 $ 11.77 $ 24,480

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Sewing Machine Operators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 3,070 13.53 17.13 $ 16.55 $ 34,430
Northwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area 330 4.94 6.25 $ 13.86 $ 28,830
Northwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area 260 4.12 5.21 $ 14.60 $ 30,370
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 640 3.89 4.93 $ 11.23 $ 23,360
Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area 540 3.68 4.66 $ 11.77 $ 24,480

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Sewing Machine Operators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 60 0.46 0.58 $ 24.20 $ 50,330
Western Washington nonmetropolitan area 80 0.60 0.76 $ 18.97 $ 39,460
Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area 70 0.74 0.94 $ 18.26 $ 37,980
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 100 1.01 1.28 $ 18.11 $ 37,670
Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 70 0.69 0.88 $ 17.91 $ 37,240


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023