occupation · 51-6031 · detailed
Sewing Machine Operators — wages and employment
Sewing Machine Operators earned a median annual wage of $36,000 in the United States in May 2024, with 109,590 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Sewing Machine Operators earned a median annual wage of $36,000 in the United States in May 2024, with 109,590 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $26,860 or less, the best-paid tenth $47,060 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $34,440 to $36,000, +4.5 %. The best-paying state is Alaska at $42,800; the lowest Puerto Rico at $20,040. Among metropolitan areas, Appleton, WI pays the highest median, $48,880. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 109,590 | $36,000 | $36,680 | $26,860 | $31,200 | $40,810 | $47,060 | $17.31 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 116,130 | $34,440 | $35,000 | $25,360 | $29,690 | $38,340 | $45,360 | $16.56 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $42,800 | 40 |
| Washington | $41,530 | 1,770 |
| New Hampshire | $41,410 | 290 |
| Rhode Island | $41,290 | 480 |
| Nevada | $40,550 | 1,400 |
| Minnesota | $40,510 | 2,370 |
| Massachusetts | $40,370 | 2,090 |
| Maine | $40,170 | 760 |
| Vermont | $39,870 | 300 |
| Arizona | $39,240 | 1,340 |
| North Dakota | $39,110 | 140 |
| Wisconsin | $38,940 | 2,440 |
| Mississippi | $38,690 | 2,620 |
| Colorado | $38,580 | 930 |
| South Dakota | $38,120 | 270 |
| Oregon | $37,940 | 1,240 |
| New York | $37,810 | 5,640 |
| Michigan | $37,600 | 3,550 |
| Utah | $37,480 | 1,150 |
| Montana | $37,240 | 210 |
| Connecticut | $37,220 | 490 |
| Indiana | $37,070 | 3,410 |
| California | $37,010 | 14,780 |
| Iowa | $36,790 | 790 |
| Hawaii | $36,500 | 260 |
| Nebraska | $36,370 | 310 |
| Pennsylvania | $36,310 | 4,510 |
| Illinois | $35,540 | 4,120 |
| Ohio | $35,400 | 4,130 |
| Maryland | $35,390 | 1,290 |
| Delaware | $35,320 | 50 |
| North Carolina | $35,170 | 8,580 |
| New Jersey | $35,080 | 3,050 |
| Missouri | $34,910 | 2,530 |
| Wyoming | $34,840 | 130 |
| Kansas | $34,800 | 710 |
| South Carolina | $34,640 | 1,630 |
| Idaho | $34,510 | 290 |
| New Mexico | $34,230 | 210 |
| Georgia | $33,710 | 3,810 |
| Virginia | $33,280 | 1,690 |
| Oklahoma | $32,250 | 590 |
| Tennessee | $32,250 | 2,960 |
| West Virginia | $31,770 | 120 |
| Florida | $31,340 | 6,190 |
| Arkansas | $30,630 | 840 |
| Texas | $30,480 | 6,310 |
| Alabama | $30,140 | 2,650 |
| Kentucky | $29,040 | 3,270 |
| Louisiana | $28,670 | 810 |
| Puerto Rico | $20,040 | 6,570 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Appleton, WI | $48,880 | 150 |
| Glens Falls, NY | $48,380 | 50 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $46,990 | 40 |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | $46,360 | 1,980 |
| Kingston, NY | $46,170 | 30 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $45,910 | 270 |
| Iowa City, IA | $45,410 | 40 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | $45,410 | 120 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | $43,660 | 90 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $43,460 | 970 |
| Vallejo, CA | $43,180 | 30 |
| Portland-South Portland, ME | $43,080 | 250 |
| Jackson, MI | $42,660 | — |
| Kalamazoo-Portage, MI | $42,410 | — |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $42,090 | 120 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $42,040 | 120 |
| Green Bay, WI | $41,730 | 160 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $41,530 | 1,120 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $41,410 | 500 |
| Bend, OR | $41,400 | 50 |
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