Occupations · Production
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.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 51-6031.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 103% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $36,400 | 10,400 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $36,510 | 6,160 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $28,540 | 3,370 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $35,540 | 3,370 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $33,400 | 2,400 |
| Mayagüez, PR | $19,760 | 2,280 |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | $46,360 | 1,980 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $34,910 | 1,760 |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | $31,160 | 1,660 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $36,070 | 1,650 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $40,520 | 1,530 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $35,570 | 1,430 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: No formal educational credential · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Monitor machine operation to detect problems such as defective stitching, breaks in thread, or machine malfunctions.
- Cut materials according to specifications, using blades, scissors, or electric knives.
- Place spools of thread, cord, or other materials on spindles, insert bobbins, and thread ends through machine guides and components.
- Position items under needles, using marks on machines, clamps, templates, or cloth as guides.
- Guide garments or garment parts under machine needles and presser feet to sew parts together.
- Match cloth pieces in correct sequences prior to sewing them, and verify that dye lots and patterns match.
- Remove holding devices and finished items from machines.
- Fold or stretch edges or lengths of items while sewing to facilitate forming specified sections.
- Cut excess material or thread from finished products.
- Select supplies such as fasteners and thread, according to job requirements.
- Examine and measure finished articles to verify conformance to standards, using rulers.
- Start and operate or tend machines, such as single or double needle serging and flat-bed felling machines, to automatically join, reinforce, or decorate material or articles.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2017-07
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2017-07
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning.
Now listed 1
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| sewing machine operator | 8153.1 | exact |
| clothing sample machinist | 8153.1.2 | close |
| clothing alteration machinist | 8153.1.1 | close |
| embroiderer | 7533.2 | close |
| embroidery machine operator | 8153.1.3 | broader |
| sewing machinist | 7533.5 | broader |
| leather goods stitching machine operator | 8153.1.4 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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