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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

51-6031 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.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
133,410 1.8 % $13.46 $28,000 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.39 $11.09 $12.70 $15.26 $18.51
Annual Wage (2) $19,530 $23,060 $26,420 $31,750 $38,500

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing 36,790 40.77 $12.83 $26,690
Other Textile Product Mills 19,870 30.63 $13.50 $28,080
Textile Furnishings Mills 9,500 18.91 $13.49 $28,060
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only) 7,560 2.14 $15.26 $31,750
Printing and Related Support Activities 5,650 1.31 $13.44 $27,960

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing 36,790 40.77 $12.83 $26,690
Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing 4,560 39.39 $12.70 $26,410
Other Textile Product Mills 19,870 30.63 $13.50 $28,080
Other Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing 2,300 20.39 $13.10 $27,250
Textile Furnishings Mills 9,500 18.91 $13.49 $28,060

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 30 (7) $21.30 $44,300
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 120 0.01 $20.12 $41,850
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 50 (7) $19.55 $40,670
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 90 0.02 $18.76 $39,020
Automotive Parts, Accessories, and Tire Stores (8) (8) $17.44 $36,280

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 22,800 1.31 1.44 $13.57 $28,220
Texas 10,240 0.82 0.91 $11.59 $24,100
North Carolina 9,240 2.07 2.28 $13.63 $28,350
New York 8,960 0.94 1.04 $15.80 $32,870
Georgia 6,900 1.54 1.70 $12.28 $25,540




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Mississippi 3,310 2.94 3.23 $12.99 $27,030
North Carolina 9,240 2.07 2.28 $13.63 $28,350
Kentucky 3,110 1.64 1.80 $11.99 $24,940
Georgia 6,900 1.54 1.70 $12.28 $25,540
Tennessee 4,050 1.35 1.48 $12.44 $25,880




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 30 0.04 0.05 $17.59 $36,580
Connecticut 650 0.39 0.43 $17.21 $35,790
Washington 2,420 0.73 0.80 $16.82 $34,980
Alaska 30 0.10 0.11 $16.44 $34,190
Minnesota 1,900 0.66 0.73 $16.01 $33,290





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 17,670 2.83 3.12 $13.22 $27,500
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 9,620 1.00 1.10 $15.06 $31,320
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 3,960 1.08 1.19 $12.42 $25,820
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 3,830 1.40 1.54 $12.72 $26,460
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 3,120 0.67 0.73 $13.94 $28,990
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 2,650 1.00 1.10 $12.55 $26,110
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 2,410 15.68 17.27 $17.46 $36,310
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 1,920 0.95 1.05 $17.07 $35,500
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 1,830 0.64 0.70 $13.99 $29,090
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 1,770 0.58 0.64 $11.62 $24,170




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 2,410 15.68 17.27 $17.46 $36,310
Dalton, GA 770 11.93 13.14 $12.61 $26,220
Jacksonville, NC 300 6.32 6.96 $11.58 $24,090
Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA 250 6.20 6.82 $13.04 $27,130
El Paso, TX 1,520 4.83 5.32 $9.07 $18,870
Greensboro-High Point, NC 1,670 4.58 5.04 $12.94 $26,920
Burlington, NC 260 4.16 4.57 $12.32