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Sewing Machine Operators in California
Considering working as a Sewing Machine Operators in California? Here’s what you need to know. Operate or tend sewing machines to join, reinforce, decorate, or perform related sewing operations in the manufacture of garment or nongarment products.
What do Sewing Machine Operators Make in California?
The sewing machine operators working in California, the median annual wage is $37,010 per year (or about $17.79/hour).Earnings range from $34,510 at the 10th percentile to $48,090 at the 90th percentile.
| Wage Statistic | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $34,510 | $16.59 |
| 25th percentile | $35,520 | $17.08 |
| Median (50th) | $37,010 | $17.79 |
| 75th percentile | $42,180 | $20.28 |
| 90th percentile | $48,090 | $23.12 |
The location quotient — a measure of how concentrated this occupation is in California relative to the national average — is 1.15, indicating that sewing machine operators are more concentrated here than the national average.
National Wage Comparison
Nationally, sewing machine operators earn a median of $31,213 per year ($15.01/hour), above the California median.
Employment Outlook
There are roughly 425,426 sewing machine operators in the U.S.. In California alone, around 14,780 people work in this role. That’s higher than the typical state, which employs around 1,340 sewing machine operators.
Top California Metros for Sewing Machine Operators
The largest metro-area employers of sewing machine operators in California.
| Metro Area | Number Employed | Annual Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 10,400 | $36,400 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 970 | $43,460 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 900 | $38,180 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 820 | $37,280 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 270 | $45,910 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 220 | $39,520 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 190 | $38,230 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | 120 | $42,090 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 110 | $38,190 |
| Fresno, CA | 100 | $36,110 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | 80 | $39,610 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 60 | $36,360 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 60 | $39,310 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 40 | $46,990 |
| Vallejo, CA | 30 | $43,180 |
Top States for Sewing Machine Operators Employment
View the states that employ the most sewing machine operators work.
| State | Number Employed |
|---|---|
| California | 14,780 |
| North Carolina | 8,580 |
| Puerto Rico | 6,570 |
| Texas | 6,310 |
| Florida | 6,190 |
| New York | 5,640 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,510 |
| Ohio | 4,130 |
| Illinois | 4,120 |
| Georgia | 3,810 |
| Michigan | 3,550 |
| Indiana | 3,410 |
| Kentucky | 3,270 |
| New Jersey | 3,050 |
| Tennessee | 2,960 |
| Alabama | 2,650 |
| Mississippi | 2,620 |
| Missouri | 2,530 |
| Wisconsin | 2,440 |
| Minnesota | 2,370 |
Highest-Paying States for Sewing Machine Operators
Where sewing machine operators earn the most: sewing machine operators.
| 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 |
Skills
Top sewing machine operators skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Core knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Abilities
The abilities that matter most for sewing machine operators, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Daily Tasks
Sewing Machine Operators typically:
- 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.
- Select supplies such as fasteners and thread, according to job requirements.
- Examine and measure finished articles to verify conformance to standards, using rulers.
- Start and operate or tend machines, such as single or double needle serging and flat-bed felling machines, to automatically join, reinforce, or decorate material or articles.
- Record quantities of materials processed.
Work Activities
- 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
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
- Performing General Physical Activities
- Training and Teaching Others
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
Tools & Technology
Software and systems commonly involved: Hot technologies: Microsoft Excel
Related Careers
Related occupations to sewing machine operators include:
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Print Binding and Finishing Workers
- Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers
- Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials
- Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers
Also Known As
Appliquer, Apron Operator, Armhole Sewer, Automat Watcher, Automatic Hemmer, Automatic Seamer, Automatic Serging Machine Operator, Automatic Shirring Machine Operator, Automatic Trimming Sewer, Back Facer, Bag Maker, Bag Mender, Band Maker, Bander, Bar Tacker Sewing Machine.
References
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
- BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- O*NET-SOC code: 51-6031.00
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