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Sewing Machine Operators: Career Profile
Operate or tend sewing machines to join, reinforce, decorate, or perform related sewing operations in the manufacture of garment or nongarment products.
The Daily Work of Sewing Machine Operators Take On?
The core tasks performed by sewing machine operators include:
- Monitor machine operation to detect problems such as defective stitching, breaks in thread, or machine malfunctions.
- Place spools of thread, cord, or other materials on spindles, insert bobbins, and thread ends through machine guides and components.
- Position items under needles, using marks on machines, clamps, templates, or cloth as guides.
- Guide garments or garment parts under machine needles and presser feet to sew parts together.
- Remove holding devices and finished items from machines.
- Match cloth pieces in correct sequences prior to sewing them, and verify that dye lots and patterns match.
- Fold or stretch edges or lengths of items while sewing to facilitate forming specified sections.
- Cut excess material or thread from finished products.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Effective sewing machine operators draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The abilities that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Appliquer
- Apron Operator
- Armhole Sewer
- Automat Watcher
- Automatic Hemmer
- Automatic Seamer
- Automatic Serging Machine Operator
- Automatic Shirring Machine Operator
Job Outlook
The U.S. employs around 425,426 sewing machine operators working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +1.8% over the projection horizon.
Sewing Machine Operators Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $31,213 |
| Hourly median | $15.01 |
| 10th percentile | $21,621 |
| 25th percentile | $26,417 |
| 75th percentile | $36,010 |
| 90th percentile | $40,806 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Sewing Machine Operators Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Alaska | $42,800 |
| Washington | $41,530 |
| New Hampshire | $41,410 |
| Rhode Island | $41,290 |
| Nevada | $40,550 |
| Minnesota | $40,510 |
| Massachusetts | $40,370 |
| Maine | $40,170 |
| Vermont | $39,870 |
| Arizona | $39,240 |
| North Dakota | $39,110 |
| Wisconsin | $38,940 |
| Mississippi | $38,690 |
| Colorado | $38,580 |
| South Dakota | $38,120 |
| Oregon | $37,940 |
| New York | $37,810 |
| Michigan | $37,600 |
| Utah | $37,480 |
| Montana | $37,240 |
| Connecticut | $37,220 |
| Indiana | $37,070 |
| California | $37,010 |
| Iowa | $36,790 |
| Hawaii | $36,500 |
| Nebraska | $36,370 |
| Pennsylvania | $36,310 |
| Illinois | $35,540 |
| Ohio | $35,400 |
| Maryland | $35,390 |
| Delaware | $35,320 |
| North Carolina | $35,170 |
| New Jersey | $35,080 |
| Missouri | $34,910 |
| Wyoming | $34,840 |
| Kansas | $34,800 |
| South Carolina | $34,640 |
| Idaho | $34,510 |
| New Mexico | $34,230 |
| Georgia | $33,710 |
| Virginia | $33,280 |
| Tennessee | $32,250 |
| Oklahoma | $32,250 |
| West Virginia | $31,770 |
| Florida | $31,340 |
| Arkansas | $30,630 |
| Texas | $30,480 |
| Alabama | $30,140 |
| Kentucky | $29,040 |
| Louisiana | $28,670 |
| Puerto Rico | $20,040 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Pay for sewing machine operators differ across the country. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England | $40,120 | 3.8% | 1.00 |
| Far Western US | $37,739 | 16.8% | 1.09 |
| Rocky Mountains | $37,394 | 2.3% | 0.69 |
| Plains States | $37,239 | 6.1% | 1.02 |
| Great Lakes | $36,687 | 15.2% | 1.15 |
| Middle Atlantic | $36,548 | 12.5% | 0.92 |
| Southeast | $33,020 | 30.3% | 1.68 |
| Southwest | $32,085 | 7.3% | 0.61 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appleton, WI | WI | $48,880 | 150 |
| Glens Falls, NY | NY | $48,380 | 50 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | CA | $46,990 | 40 |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | NC | $46,360 | 1,980 |
| Kingston, NY | NY | $46,170 | 30 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $45,910 | 270 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | IL | $45,410 | 120 |
| Iowa City, IA | IA | $45,410 | 40 |
Industry Breakdown
The bulk of sewing machine operators work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 79,690 | $36,080 |
| Retail Trade | 7,410 | $35,790 |
| Wholesale Trade | 5,660 | $36,750 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 3,660 | $29,250 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3,310 | $38,750 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 3,310 | $32,790 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 2,930 | $38,410 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 1,900 | $39,280 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Tools and Technology
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
Daily working conditions for sewing machine operators reflects the following characteristics:
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
- Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
- Spend Time Sitting
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Time Pressure
Getting Started in This Career
Typical sewing machine operators positions require less than a high school diploma as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Supplemental)
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Supplemental)
- Print Binding and Finishing Workers (Supplemental)
- Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers (Supplemental)
- Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials (Primary-Short)
- Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers (Primary-Long)
- Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders (Primary-Short)
- Sewers, Hand (Primary-Short)
Sources
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 51-6031.00 (Sewing Machine Operators).
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