Occupations · Production
Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Set up, operate, or tend machines that cut textiles.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 51-6062.00
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 85% 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 | $38,330 | 720 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $41,460 | 580 |
| Dalton, GA | $37,770 | 490 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $44,440 | 370 |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | $47,620 | 360 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $29,950 | 210 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $37,960 | 210 |
| Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC | $47,880 | 200 |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | $37,500 | 190 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $36,400 | 180 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $27,740 | 170 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $36,200 | 130 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Thread yarn, thread, or fabric through guides, needles, and rollers of machines.
- Operate machines to cut multiple layers of fabric into parts for articles such as canvas goods, house furnishings, garments, hats, or stuffed toys.
- Adjust cutting techniques to types of fabrics and styles of garments.
- Inspect products to ensure that the quality standards and specifications are met.
- Place patterns on top of layers of fabric and cut fabric following patterns, using electric or manual knives, cutters, or computer numerically controlled cutting devices.
- Program electronic equipment.
- Study guides, samples, charts, and specification sheets or confer with supervisors or engineering staff to determine set-up requirements.
- Start machines, monitor operations, and make adjustments as needed.
- Stop machines when specified amounts of product have been produced.
- Adjust machine controls, such as heating mechanisms, tensions, or speeds, to produce specified products.
- Record information about work completed and machine settings.
- Notify supervisors of mechanical malfunctions.
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 2019-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2019-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
Tasks O*NET flags as emerging
- Inspect products to ensure that the quality standards and specifications are met.
O*NET 23.3 emerging tasks
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 4
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 |
|---|---|---|
| cutting machine operator | 8156.2.1 | exact |
| automated cutting machine operator | 8156.1 | close |
| clothing cutter | 7532.2 | close |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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