Sewing Machine Operators pay in the U.S.
$37,600avg. a year
$18.08 an hour · 104,880 employed
Sewing Machine Operators in the U.S. earn an average of $37,600 a year and a median of $36,670. Pay is highest in Alaska ($46,300) and lowest in Louisiana ($29,830).
$36,670Median pay
$18.08Average hourly
+28%Avg. pay since 2020
104,880Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for sewing machine operators
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
140 jobs
Alaska
$46,300
$22.26 an hour
2910 jobs
Nevada
$44,590
$21.44 an hour
31,600 jobs
Washington
$43,720
$21.02 an hour
4970 jobs
Colorado
$43,690
$21.01 an hour
5190 jobs
New Hampshire
$42,960
$20.65 an hour
6280 jobs
Hawaii
$42,860
$20.61 an hour
71,540 jobs
Massachusetts
$42,850
$20.60 an hour
8700 jobs
Maine
$42,450
$20.41 an hour
91,250 jobs
Oregon
$42,260
$20.32 an hour
106,130 jobs
New York
$41,930
$20.16 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Sewing Machine Operators pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $36k$36k–$38k$38k–$41k$41k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Appleton, WI | $51,830 | $24.92 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $47,860 | $23.01 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $46,380 | $22.30 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | $45,920 | $22.08 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | $45,580 | $21.92 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $45,230 | $21.75 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $44,730 | $21.51 |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | $44,600 | $21.44 |
Related jobs
- Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$34,920
- Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials$34,640
- Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$40,120
- Upholsterers$47,340
- Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers$45,140
- Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers, All Other$40,560
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Sewing Machine Operators pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $31,730 | $30,830 | 2,300 |
| Alaska | $46,300 | $43,850 | 40 |
| Arizona | $41,270 | $40,210 | 1,420 |
| Arkansas | $35,640 | $35,630 | 860 |
| California | $41,060 | $37,940 | 13,240 |
| Colorado | $43,690 | $43,840 | 970 |
| Connecticut | $40,140 | $37,780 | 480 |
| Delaware | $39,170 | $37,690 | 60 |
| Florida | $34,750 | $33,270 | 6,790 |
| Georgia | $34,510 | $34,790 | 3,420 |
| Hawaii | $42,860 | $39,230 | 280 |
| Idaho | $38,110 | $37,160 | 410 |
| Illinois | $38,600 | $36,220 | 4,060 |
| Indiana | $39,900 | $38,440 | 3,400 |
| Iowa | $36,570 | $35,870 | 590 |
| Kansas | $35,380 | $35,360 | 650 |
| Kentucky | $30,690 | $29,460 | 2,750 |
| Louisiana | $29,830 | $29,600 | 610 |
| Maine | $42,450 | $43,520 | 700 |
| Maryland | $39,090 | $35,860 | 1,390 |
| Massachusetts | $42,850 | $42,910 | 1,540 |
| Michigan | $37,700 | $37,490 | 3,210 |
| Minnesota | $41,490 | $38,930 | 1,890 |
| Mississippi | $36,780 | $37,600 | 2,270 |
| Missouri | $35,300 | $35,610 | 2,320 |
| Montana | $36,970 | $36,740 | 190 |
| Nebraska | $37,440 | $37,060 | 300 |
| Nevada | $44,590 | $45,750 | 910 |
| New Hampshire | $42,960 | $41,740 | 190 |
| New Jersey | $37,760 | $36,130 | 2,750 |
| New Mexico | $34,750 | $34,840 | 220 |
| New York | $41,930 | $38,480 | 6,130 |
| North Carolina | $36,250 | $35,160 | 8,290 |
| North Dakota | $38,150 | $35,700 | 110 |
| Ohio | $36,390 | $35,760 | 4,100 |
| Oklahoma | $33,220 | $33,340 | 580 |
| Oregon | $42,260 | $39,780 | 1,250 |
| Pennsylvania | $36,180 | $35,640 | 3,390 |
| Rhode Island | $40,840 | $38,670 | 270 |
| South Carolina | $37,820 | $38,250 | 2,460 |
| South Dakota | $38,630 | $39,000 | 300 |
| Tennessee | $33,760 | $34,220 | 3,300 |
| Texas | $32,430 | $31,000 | 6,950 |
| Utah | $37,150 | $35,550 | 1,020 |
| Vermont | $40,930 | $40,850 | 220 |
| Virginia | $36,550 | $35,790 | 2,010 |
| Washington | $43,720 | $43,360 | 1,600 |
| West Virginia | $31,260 | $29,320 | 180 |
| Wisconsin | $41,430 | $40,370 | 2,370 |
| Wyoming | $36,440 | $36,510 | 110 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$40,340
9,310 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$41,160
6,700 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$33,040
3,680 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$39,020
3,450 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$35,190
2,420 jobsHickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC
$44,600
1,860 jobsCharlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
$35,780
1,640 jobsGreensboro-High Point, NC
$34,670
1,460 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do sewing machine operators make?
The average is $37,600 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $36,670 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $18.08, and the median is $17.63 an hour.
Which state pays sewing machine operators the most?
Alaska, with an average of $46,300 a year. The best-paying metro area is Appleton, WI at $51,830.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $27,860 a year, and the top 10% earn over $47,840.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 51-6031. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.