Sewing machine operators

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

123k

Average Age

47.7

Estimated Job Growth

−10.7%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$32,487

Average Male Salary

$36,043

Average Female Salary

$31,125

About

Sewing machine operators are most often employed by the Cut and sew, and apparel accessories and other apparel manufacturing industry. The average yearly wage for Sewing machine operators was $32,487 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Sewing machine operators are Northwest Georgia Regional Commission (North Central)--Whitfield County PUMA, GA, Los Angeles County--LA City (East Central/Silver Lake, Echo Park & Westlake) PUMA, CA, and Los Angeles County (Central)--LA City (Southeast/East Vernon) PUMA, CA. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Sewing machine operators are Cabo Rojo, San Germán & Lajas PUMA, PR, Northwest Georgia Regional Commission (North Central)--Whitfield County PUMA, GA, and Los Angeles County (Central)--LA City (Southeast/East Vernon) PUMA, CA.

Production Occupations Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Sewing machine operators workforce. Sewing machine operators workforce in 2024 was 122,583 people, of which 72.3% were women and 27.7% were men. Sewing machine operators are paid most in Coffee, Franklin & Moore Counties--Tullahoma & Manchester cities PUMA, TN but are relatively concentrated in Cabo Rojo, San Germán & Lajas PUMA, PR.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

33,964

Male Workforce

± 4.52k

88,619

Female Workforce

± 7.31k

The Sewing machine operators workforce in 2024 was 122,583 people (72.3% women and 27.7% men). This implies an average annual growth of −34.1% between 2014 (185,992) and 2024 (122,583).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Sewing machine operators.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Washington ($69,774), Delaware ($54,669), and Connecticut ($47,472).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$32,487

AVERAGE WAGE

#439 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Sewing machine operators earned an average of $32,487, $37,390 less than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Sewing machine operators in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2014.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.337

WAGE GINI

In 2024, Sewing machine operators had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.337, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Sewing machine operators (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Sewing machine operators compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Sewing machine operators and on wages for those in the field. Cut and sew, and apparel accessories and other apparel manufacturing is the industry that employs the most Sewing machine operators, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Sewing machine operators, by average wage, is Insurance carriers ($98,740).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

123k

2024 Workforce

± 8,592

−4.5%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 10.3%

This graphic shows the share of Sewing machine operators employed by various industries. Cut and sew, and apparel accessories and other apparel manufacturing employs the largest share of Sewing machine operators at 54.6%, followed by Textile product mills, except carpets & rugs with 21.8% and Fabric mills, except knitting mills with 15.3%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Sewing machine operators in the US. The workforce of Sewing machine operators in 2024 was 122,583 people, with 72.3% woman, and 27.7% men. The average age of male Sewing machine operators in the workforce is 43.2 and of female Sewing machine operators is 49.5, and the most common race/ethnicity for Sewing machine operators is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Sewing machine operators in 2024 was 122,583 people, with 72.3% woman, and 27.7% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 55 to 59 years (17,335 people), 50 to 54 years (16,507 people), and 45 to 49 years (14,377 people). Among them they concentrated 39.4% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 39.5% of Sewing machine operators workers were Hispanic and 60.5% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (54.4%), Puerto Rican (13.4)%, and Guatemalan (7.84)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 42.9% of the Sewing machine operators workforce were White, of which 74.9% were women and 25.1% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Other (18%) and Two or More Races (15.5%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Sewing machine operators from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Sewing machine operators is Business but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were MILITARY SCIENCE, LEADERSHIP AND OPERATIONAL ART.

Among the necessary skills for Sewing machine operators, Monitoring stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Sewing machine operators need more than the average amount of Quality Control Analysis.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Sewing machine operators in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Business (2,048 people), Visual & Performing Arts (1,645 people), and Education (1,094 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Sewing machine operators workers were High School or Equivalent (47,674 people), Secondary Education (20,155 people), and Some college (17,806 people).

The graphic shows the Sewing machine operators workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Sewing machine operators from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Sewing machine operators need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Operation and Control.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Sewing Machine Operators from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Sewing Machine Operators are expected to see a growth of −10.7% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

−10.7%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Sewing machine operators. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.