SOC 51-6031.00

    Sewing Machine Operators

    Operate or tend sewing machines to join, reinforce, decorate, or perform related sewing operations in the manufacture of garment or nongarment products.

    Median pay
    $36,670
    Growth
    -15.1%
    Decline
    Openings a year
    9,800
    Typical education
    No formal credential

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

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    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $27,860
    Median
    $36,670
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $47,840
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    104,880 people work in this occupation.

    What sewing machine operators do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Operate or tend sewing machines to join, reinforce, decorate, or perform related sewing operations in the manufacture of garment or nongarment products.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    96 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    6 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    13 / 100
    Social (S)
    3 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    2 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    50 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code RCA. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Handling and Moving Objects
    64
    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    61
    Controlling Machines and Processes
    60
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    56
    Getting Information
    56
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    55
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    49
    Performing General Physical Activities
    48
    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    47
    Training and Teaching Others
    47
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Monitoring
    • Active Listening
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Critical Thinking
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Operations Monitoring
    • Quality Control Analysis
    • Time Management
    • Operation and Control
    • Reading Comprehension

    Knowledge

    • English Language
    • Production and Processing
    • Mathematics
    • Education and Training
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Mechanical
    • Administration and Management
    • Transportation
    • Computers and Electronics

    Abilities

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Manual Dexterity
    • Control Precision
    • Near Vision
    • Finger Dexterity
    • Information Ordering
    • Multilimb Coordination
    • Rate Control
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Problem Sensitivity

    Work styles

    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cautiousness
    • Perseverance
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Cooperation
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Integrity
    • Self-Control
    • Self-Confidence

    Also called

    Appliquer · Apron Operator · Armhole Sewer · Automat Watcher · Automatic Hemmer · Automatic Seamer · Automatic Serging Machine Operator · Automatic Shirring Machine Operator · Automatic Trimming Sewer · Back Facer

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    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    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.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.