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The national median salary for Sewing Machine Operators is $36,670 per year ($17.63/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $31,970 and $42,827 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $47,840 per year. There are approximately 104,880 sewing machine operators employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Operate or tend sewing machines to join, reinforce, decorate, or perform related sewing operations in the manufacture of garment or nongarment products.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-10.8%
Much slower than average
Annual openings
13K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
124K
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
Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing
NAICS 315200
21K
$36,380
Other Textile Product Mills
NAICS 314900
18K
$36,610
Textile Furnishings Mills
NAICS 314100
6K
$35,840
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only)
NAICS 3370A1
5K
$40,870
Printing and Related Support Activities
NAICS 323100
5K
$37,230
Wage range across top 5 industries: $35,840 to $40,870 (14% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$13.39
$27,851
P25
$15.37
$31,970
P50MEDIAN
$17.63
$36,670
P75
$20.59
$42,827
P90
$23.00
$47,840
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · manufacturing sector
Stable
Openings Rate
3.5%
Quits Rate
1.4%
Manufacturing openings ticked up to 462K (+19K) in March, with the rate at 3.5%. Hires rose to 310K. The sector has stabilized after late-2025 softening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average sewing machine operators salary?
The national median salary for Sewing Machine Operators is $36,670 per year ($17.63/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $31,970 and $42,827 annually.
How much do top-earning sewing machine operators make?
The 90th percentile salary for Sewing Machine Operators is $47,840 per year ($23.00/hr). The 75th percentile is $42,827 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for sewing machine operators?
Entry-level Sewing Machine Operators (10th percentile) earn approximately $27,851 per year ($13.39/hr). The 25th percentile is $31,970 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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