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The national median salary for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers is $41,642 per year ($20.02/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $35,235 and $50,211 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $63,669 per year. There are approximately 13,920 tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Design, make, alter, repair, or fit garments.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-4.5%
Slower than average
Annual openings
5K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
39K
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
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers
NAICS 458100
5K
$44,130
Drycleaning and Laundry Services
NAICS 812300
2K
$38,320
Personal and Household Goods Repair and Maintenance
NAICS 811400
2K
$39,150
Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing
NAICS 315200
1K
$43,270
Apparel, Piece Goods, and Notions Merchant Wholesalers
NAICS 424300
780
$39,270
Wage range across top 5 industries: $38,320 to $44,130 (15% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$14.38
$29,910
P25
$16.94
$35,235
P50MEDIAN
$20.02
$41,642
P75
$24.14
$50,211
P90
$30.61
$63,669
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 tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers salary?
The national median salary for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers is $41,642 per year ($20.02/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $35,235 and $50,211 annually.
How much do top-earning tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers is $63,669 per year ($30.61/hr). The 75th percentile is $50,211 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers?
Entry-level Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers (10th percentile) earn approximately $29,910 per year ($14.38/hr). The 25th percentile is $35,235 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.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.