Careers / Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$41,640
United States, 2025
Employment
13,920
United States, 2025
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Design, make, alter, repair, or fit garments.
- O*NET code
- 51-6052.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
Typical tasks
- Measure parts, such as sleeves or pant legs, and mark or pin-fold alteration lines.
- Remove stitches from garments to be altered, using rippers or razor blades.
- Sew garments, using needles and thread or sewing machines.
- Let out or take in seams in suits and other garments to improve fit.
- Measure customers, using tape measures, and record measurements.
- Fit and study garments on customers to determine required alterations.
- Trim excess material, using scissors.
- Assemble garment parts and join parts with basting stitches, using needles and thread or sewing machines.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$29,920
25th percentile
$35,230
75th percentile
$50,200
90th percentile
$63,670
Most important skills
- Time Management3.1
- Speaking3.0
- Active Listening3.0
- Critical Thinking3.0
- Social Perceptiveness2.9
- Monitoring2.8
- Judgment and Decision Making2.8
- Complex Problem Solving2.6
- Active Learning2.6
- Reading Comprehension2.6
- Service Orientation2.6
- Coordination2.6
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 4 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
4
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.1 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Speaking | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
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Compare with Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom SewersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $63,050 | 1,100 | 2025 |
| NY | $60,210 | 1,160 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $59,020 | 80 | 2025 |
| DC | $57,720 | 80 | 2025 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $57,020 | 270 | 2025 |
| Washington, DC | $55,000 | 230 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $54,300 | 60 | 2025 |
| WA | $54,300 | 100 | 2025 |
| Denver, CO | $53,970 | 100 | 2025 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $53,680 | — | 2025 |
| HI | $53,680 | — | 2025 |
| Kiryas Joel, NY | $53,570 | — | 2025 |
| Atlanta, GA | $51,380 | 220 | 2025 |
| CO | $51,110 | 160 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $50,470 | 100 | 2025 |
| MA | $50,470 | — | 2025 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $49,610 | 90 | 2025 |
| San Antonio, TX | $49,610 | 170 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $49,450 | 200 | 2025 |
| NV | $49,150 | 100 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.