How much should I pay a sewing machine operators in 2026?

A competitive 2026 offer for Sewing Machine Operators is $36,670 to $42,827 (market median to the 75th percentile). BLS ECI shows manufacturing wages growing about 3.3% a year, so budget a similar annual increase to stay at market.

Is a salary competitive for a sewing machine operators?

Compare it to the BLS OEWS range: below $31,970 is below market, $36,670 to $42,827 is competitive, and above $42,827 is above market for Sewing Machine Operators.

How is sewing machine operators pay changing in 2026?

Median pay for this role rose 1.8% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 3.3% wage growth of Manufacturing (BLS ECI). 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.

Sewing Machine Operators Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks

SOC 51-6031 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data

Median Annual Salary

$36,670

$17.63/hr

Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026

Is this a competitive Sewing Machine Operators salary in 2026?

Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.

Check a salary or offer:$Competitive · ~P50

P10$28K

P25$32K

P50$37K

P75$43K

P90$48K

Drag the dot or type an amount above.

→

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.

📈

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 $36,670 to $42,827 (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 Sewing Machine Operators pay is moving in 2026

Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI

Pay trend

Median pay for this role rose 1.8% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing 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 1.7 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%.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: sector wages growing 3.3% per year, holding steady.

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

Get notified when this number updates

Personal or work email, both work. No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

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

3.7%

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 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.

Related Salary Data

Compare with other occupations

Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators51-2090$45K/yr First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers51-1011$74K/yr Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers51-9061$49K/yr Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers51-4121$54K/yr Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders51-9111$43K/yr Browse all 770+ occupations →

Sewing Machine Operators Salary by State

Top 5 states by employment

California13,240 workers North Carolina8,290 workers Texas6,950 workers Florida6,790 workers New York6,130 workers

About This Data

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.

Next OEWS release: May 2027Verify on BLS.gov →

About CompSignal

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.

Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.

Open the full app →About Falcon Incentives →Privacy Policy

Explore more occupations on CompSignal →

Free BLS wage benchmarks, JOLTS talent signals, and AI analyst briefs

CompSignal by Falcon Incentives · BLS data, made usable · Verify on BLS.gov