Sewing Machine Operators Career, Salary and Skills
Sewing Machine Operators have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $36,670 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 104,880. Wage data is published for 287 locations.
Occupation description
Operate or tend sewing machines to join, reinforce, decorate, or perform related sewing operations in the manufacture of garment or nongarment products.
O*NET code
51-6031.00
Job zone
2
Typical education
Less than a High School Diploma
Experience
Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months
National salary and employment
Median annual
$36,670
Hourly median
$17.63
Employment
104,880
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | 3.12 | 2.50 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.75 | 2.00 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Operations Monitoring | 2.75 | 2.12 |
| Time Management | 2.75 | 2.12 |
| Critical Thinking | 2.75 | 2.12 |
| Active Listening | 2.75 | 2.12 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.75 | 2.12 |
| Reading Comprehension | 2.62 | 2.12 |
| Operation and Control | 2.62 | 2.25 |
Typical tasks
- Remove holding devices and finished items from machines.
- Monitor machine operation to detect problems such as defective stitching, breaks in thread, or machine malfunctions.
- Place spools of thread, cord, or other materials on spindles, insert bobbins, and thread ends through machine guides and components.
- Position items under needles, using marks on machines, clamps, templates, or cloth as guides.
- Match cloth pieces in correct sequences prior to sewing them, and verify that dye lots and patterns match.
- Fold or stretch edges or lengths of items while sewing to facilitate forming specified sections.
- Cut excess material or thread from finished products.
- Guide garments or garment parts under machine needles and presser feet to sew parts together.
Technology
- Email software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Word
- Web browser software
Sewing Machine Operators salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Sewing Machine Operators Salary in CAMedian $37,940 · Employment 13,240
- Sewing Machine Operators Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $37,130 · Employment 9,310
- Sewing Machine Operators Salary in NCMedian $35,160 · Employment 8,290
- Sewing Machine Operators Salary in TXMedian $31,000 · Employment 6,950
- Sewing Machine Operators Salary in FLMedian $33,270 · Employment 6,790
- Sewing Machine Operators Salary in New York, NYMedian $37,780 · Employment 6,700
- Sewing Machine Operators Salary in NYMedian $38,480 · Employment 6,130
- Sewing Machine Operators Salary in PRMedian $21,840 · Employment 5,410
- Sewing Machine Operators Salary in OHMedian $35,760 · Employment 4,100
- Sewing Machine Operators Salary in ILMedian $36,220 · Employment 4,060
- Sewing Machine Operators Salary in Miami, FLMedian $30,620 · Employment 3,680
- Sewing Machine Operators Salary in Chicago, ILMedian $36,220 · Employment 3,450
Related careers
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticNational median $46,330
- Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom SewersNational median $41,640
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticNational median $46,550
- Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodNational median $42,770
- Print Binding and Finishing WorkersNational median $42,290
- Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersNational median $38,670
- Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNational median $34,890
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, HandNational median $42,660
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.