# Sewers, Hand

> Sew, join, reinforce, or finish, usually with needle and thread, a variety of manufactured items. Includes weavers and stitchers.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/sewers-hand
- SOC code: 51-6051.00
- Career family: Production
- Median annual pay: $36,480 (10th percentile $27,680, 90th percentile $47,570)
- Projected growth: Decline, -12.0%
- Openings a year: 600
- Typical entry education: No formal credential
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCA)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 91 |
| Investigative (I) | 0 |
| Artistic (A) | 23 |
| Social (S) | 9 |
| Enterprising (E) | 2 |
| Conventional (C) | 38 |

## What you'd do

- Controlling Machines and Processes (importance 78/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 72/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 66/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 66/100)
- Assisting and Caring for Others (importance 65/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 58/100)
- Getting Information (importance 57/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 56/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 55/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 54/100)

## Skills

Judgment and Decision Making, Time Management, Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Monitoring, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, Operation and Control

## Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, English Language, Mechanical, Education and Training, Mathematics, Design, Production and Processing, Economics and Accounting, Sales and Marketing

## Also called

Alteration Specialist, Apparel Specialist, Bale Sewer, Baseball Hand Sewer, Beadworker, Casing Sewer, Cloth Bale Header, Clothier, Couturier, Custom Apparel Specialist

## Related careers

- [Sewing Machine Operators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/sewing-machine-operators): $36,670 median pay
- [Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/tailors-dressmakers-and-custom-sewers): $41,640 median pay
- [Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/shoe-and-leather-workers-and-repairers): $37,800 median pay
- [Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/shoe-machine-operators-and-tenders): $35,650 median pay
- [Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/fabric-and-apparel-patternmakers): $62,750 median pay
- [Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/pressers-textile-garment-and-related-materials): $35,060 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.