Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders in the U.S. is $38,760 ($18.64 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $38,760
- Mean annual wage
- $39,530
- Median hourly wage
- $18.64
- Employment
- 9,000
9,000 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $28,650 | $13.78 |
| 25th percentile | $34,230 | $16.46 |
| Median (50th) | $38,760 | $18.64 |
| 75th percentile | $45,220 | $21.74 |
| 90th percentile | $49,420 | $23.76 |
Highest-paying states for textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | $47,160 | 50 |
| New York | $46,810 | 170 |
| New Hampshire | $45,930 | 80 |
| Hawaii | $45,760 | — |
| Washington | $45,380 | 140 |
| Massachusetts | $43,680 | 380 |
| North Carolina | $43,460 | 840 |
| Indiana | $41,740 | 70 |
| South Carolina | $41,740 | 480 |
| Ohio | $41,600 | 370 |
Lowest-paying states
- Nevada: $28,630 median annual wage
- Arkansas: $29,140 median annual wage
- Iowa: $30,060 median annual wage
- Texas: $30,160 median annual wage
- Missouri: $30,540 median annual wage
About this occupation
Set up, operate, or tend machines that cut textiles.
Typical tasks
- Study guides, samples, charts, and specification sheets or confer with supervisors or engineering staff to determine set-up requirements.
- Install, level, and align components, such as gears, chains, guides, dies, cutters, or needles, to set up machinery for operation.
- Operate machines for test runs to verify adjustments and to obtain product samples.
- Place patterns on top of layers of fabric and cut fabric following patterns, using electric or manual knives, cutters, or computer numerically controlled cutting devices.
- Inspect products to ensure that the quality standards and specifications are met.
- Inspect machinery to determine whether repairs are needed.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 29.7% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 44.0% |
| Some college, no degree | 17.5% |
| Associate's degree | 3.8% |
| Bachelor's degree | 3.7% |
| Master's degree | 0.6% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 0.7% |
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.