SOC 51-6052.00

    Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers

    Design, make, alter, repair, or fit garments.

    Median pay
    $41,640
    Growth
    -8.8%
    Decline
    Openings a year
    3,700
    Typical education
    No formal credential

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $29,920
    Median
    $41,640
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $63,670
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    13,920 people work in this occupation.

    What tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Design, make, alter, repair, or fit garments.

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

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    81 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    3 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    49 / 100
    Social (S)
    17 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    24 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    36 / 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 RAC. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Controlling Machines and Processes
    71
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    64
    Thinking Creatively
    64
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    58
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    56
    Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
    55
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    54
    Getting Information
    51
    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    51
    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    51
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Time Management
    • Active Listening
    • Critical Thinking
    • Speaking
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Monitoring
    • Active Learning
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Coordination

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
    • English Language
    • Production and Processing
    • Administration and Management
    • Economics and Accounting
    • Design
    • Mathematics
    • Sales and Marketing
    • Personnel and Human Resources
    • Administrative

    Abilities

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Finger Dexterity
    • Visualization
    • Near Vision
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Control Precision
    • Manual Dexterity
    • Category Flexibility
    • Information Ordering
    • Oral Expression

    Work styles

    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cautiousness
    • Perseverance
    • Innovation
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Self-Confidence
    • Integrity
    • Initiative
    • Cooperation

    Also called

    Alteration Tailor · Alterations and Tailor Shop Fitter · Alterations and Tailor Shop Sewer · Alterations Associate · Alterations Expert · Alterations Sewer · Alterations Specialist · Alterations Tailor · Appliquer · Bridal Designer

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    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.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.