Sewing Machine Operators Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for sewing machine operators in the U.S. is $36,670 ($17.63 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $36,670
- Mean annual wage
- $37,600
- Median hourly wage
- $17.63
- Employment
- 104,880
104,880 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $27,860 | $13.39 |
| 25th percentile | $31,960 | $15.37 |
| Median (50th) | $36,670 | $17.63 |
| 75th percentile | $42,830 | $20.59 |
| 90th percentile | $47,840 | $23.00 |
Highest-paying states for sewing machine operators
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada | $45,750 | 910 |
| Alaska | $43,850 | 40 |
| Colorado | $43,840 | 970 |
| Maine | $43,520 | 700 |
| Washington | $43,360 | 1,600 |
| Massachusetts | $42,910 | 1,540 |
| New Hampshire | $41,740 | 190 |
| Vermont | $40,850 | 220 |
| Wisconsin | $40,370 | 2,370 |
| Arizona | $40,210 | 1,420 |
Lowest-paying states
- West Virginia: $29,320 median annual wage
- Kentucky: $29,460 median annual wage
- Louisiana: $29,600 median annual wage
- Alabama: $30,830 median annual wage
- Texas: $31,000 median annual wage
About this occupation
Operate or tend sewing machines to join, reinforce, decorate, or perform related sewing operations in the manufacture of garment or nongarment products.
Typical tasks
- Cut excess material or thread from finished products.
- Tape or twist together thread or cord to repair breaks.
- Mount attachments, such as needles, cutting blades, or pattern plates, and adjust machine guides according to specifications.
- Turn knobs, screws, and dials to adjust settings of machines, according to garment styles and equipment performance.
- Monitor machine operation to detect problems such as defective stitching, breaks in thread, or machine malfunctions.
- Perform specialized or automatic sewing machine functions, such as buttonhole making or tacking.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: No formal educational credential
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 34.7% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 36.6% |
| Some college, no degree | 14.2% |
| Associate's degree | 5.0% |
| Bachelor's degree | 7.3% |
| Master's degree | 1.9% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 0.3% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Related occupations
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$44,650
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$74,450
- Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$48,570
- Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$53,750
- Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$43,220
- Machinists$58,750
- Production Workers, All Other$40,110
- Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$45,850
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.