SOC 51-6061.00

    Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders

    Operate or tend machines to bleach, shrink, wash, dye, or finish textiles or synthetic or glass fibers.

    Median pay
    $38,180
    Growth
    -12.5%
    Decline
    Openings a year
    600
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    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
    $30,300
    Median
    $38,180
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $48,100
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    5,310 people work in this occupation.

    What textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Operate or tend machines to bleach, shrink, wash, dye, or finish textiles or synthetic or glass fibers.

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

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    96 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    18 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    5 / 100
    Social (S)
    5 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    3 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    53 / 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 RCI. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    78
    Getting Information
    77
    Handling and Moving Objects
    75
    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    73
    Controlling Machines and Processes
    72
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    66
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    65
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    64
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    61
    Performing General Physical Activities
    61
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

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

    Knowledge

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

    Abilities

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Control Precision
    • Near Vision
    • Manual Dexterity
    • Visual Color Discrimination
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Finger Dexterity
    • Information Ordering
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Perceptual Speed

    Work styles

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

    Also called

    Ager · Ager Operator · Ager Tender · Aging Box Hand · Ammonia Box Operator · Ammonia Box Tender · Ash Kier Boiler · Autoclave Operator · Automation Operator · Automation Tender

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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.