Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 51-6021 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$35,048
$16.85/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Pressers salary in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$27K
P25$30K
P50$35K
P75$38K
P90$43K
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Demand: STABLE. Demand is stable -- manufacturing openings are at 3.7% (JOLTS, June 2026). A standard market: pay near the median, no urgency premium needed.
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Merit budget: Wages in manufacturing are rising about 3.3% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.9-3.4% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $35,048 to $37,939 (market median to the 75th percentile). Anchor on the median.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Pressers pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 3.4% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, roughly in line with the 3.3% wage growth of Manufacturing (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · STABLE
Manufacturing is running a 3.7% job-openings rate with quits at 1.5% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has drifted up from 3.4% to 3.7% over the past quarter.
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 1.6 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is narrower than typical, so pay is fairly standardized; small differences move a candidate across the market.
What changed recently
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings eased to 3.7%, with nondurable goods driving the pullback. Quits steady at 1.5%.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials is $35,048 per year ($16.85/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $29,869 and $37,939 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $43,056 per year. There are approximately 26,120 pressers, textile, garment, and related materials employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Press or shape articles by hand or machine.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-13.5%
Much slower than average
Annual openings
3K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
28K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
No formal educational credential
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Drycleaning and Laundry Services
NAICS 812300
23K
$34,840
Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing
NAICS 315200
320
$36,400
Printing and Related Support Activities
NAICS 323100
290
$37,230
Fabric Mills
NAICS 313200
190
$40,410
Rental and Leasing Services (5322, 5323, and 5324 only)
NAICS 5320A1
190
$35,670
Wage range across top 5 industries: $34,840 to $40,410 (16% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$13.07
$27,186
P25
$14.36
$29,869
P50MEDIAN
$16.85
$35,048
P75
$18.24
$37,939
P90
$20.70
$43,056
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · manufacturing sector
Stable
Openings Rate
3.7%
Quits Rate
1.5%
Manufacturing openings eased to 481K (-36K) in June, rate 3.7%, with nondurable goods driving the pullback (-55K). Quits held at 1.5%. The sector remains stable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average pressers, textile, garment, and related materials salary?
The national median salary for Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials is $35,048 per year ($16.85/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $29,869 and $37,939 annually.
How much do top-earning pressers, textile, garment, and related materials make?
The 90th percentile salary for Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials is $43,056 per year ($20.70/hr). The 75th percentile is $37,939 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for pressers, textile, garment, and related materials?
Entry-level Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials (10th percentile) earn approximately $27,186 per year ($13.07/hr). The 25th percentile is $29,869 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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