Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers pay in the U.S.
$45,140avg. a year
$21.70 an hour · 13,920 employed
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers in the U.S. earn an average of $45,140 a year and a median of $41,640. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($65,530) and lowest in Kansas ($27,360).
$41,640Median pay
$21.70Average hourly
+25%Avg. pay since 2020
13,920Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
180 jobs
District of Columbia
$65,530
$31.51 an hour
21,160 jobs
New York
$64,200
$30.87 an hour
3100 jobs
Washington
$56,380
$27.11 an hour
4
Hawaii
$52,070
$25.03 an hour
5
Massachusetts
$51,890
$24.95 an hour
6360 jobs
Georgia
$49,370
$23.74 an hour
7160 jobs
Colorado
$49,250
$23.68 an hour
82,180 jobs
California
$49,200
$23.66 an hour
9350 jobs
New Jersey
$48,930
$23.52 an hour
10300 jobs
Virginia
$48,290
$23.22 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.
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers 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
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $37k$37k–$44k$44k–$47k$47k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $65,180 | $31.34 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $56,330 | $27.08 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $54,780 | $26.34 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $53,040 | $25.50 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $52,390 | $25.19 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $51,870 | $24.94 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $51,730 | $24.87 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $50,580 | $24.32 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers 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 | $46,450 | $31,200 | 90 |
| Arizona | $42,180 | $40,360 | – |
| Arkansas | $32,570 | $30,990 | 80 |
| California | $49,200 | $44,360 | 2,180 |
| Colorado | $49,250 | $51,110 | 160 |
| Connecticut | $43,680 | $40,000 | 210 |
| Delaware | $44,640 | $44,450 | – |
| District of Columbia | $65,530 | $57,720 | 80 |
| Florida | $43,650 | $39,790 | 920 |
| Georgia | $49,370 | $43,260 | 360 |
| Hawaii | $52,070 | $53,680 | – |
| Illinois | $45,350 | $42,330 | 320 |
| Indiana | $42,460 | $36,450 | 360 |
| Iowa | $34,280 | $31,680 | 130 |
| Kansas | $27,360 | $27,110 | 40 |
| Kentucky | $34,290 | $32,530 | 230 |
| Louisiana | $36,850 | $33,560 | 250 |
| Maryland | $47,030 | $48,200 | – |
| Massachusetts | $51,890 | $50,470 | – |
| Michigan | $41,470 | $37,500 | 280 |
| Minnesota | $45,630 | $46,180 | 290 |
| Mississippi | $29,890 | $25,340 | 160 |
| Missouri | $44,460 | $48,240 | 200 |
| Montana | $37,490 | $34,710 | 50 |
| Nebraska | $39,710 | $38,380 | 40 |
| Nevada | $46,390 | $49,150 | 100 |
| New Hampshire | $47,050 | $45,970 | 60 |
| New Jersey | $48,930 | $43,150 | 350 |
| New Mexico | $39,750 | $43,350 | – |
| New York | $64,200 | $60,210 | 1,160 |
| North Carolina | $41,860 | $41,260 | 740 |
| Ohio | $39,370 | $37,170 | 510 |
| Oklahoma | $31,110 | $26,300 | – |
| Oregon | $46,730 | $47,450 | 100 |
| Pennsylvania | $45,230 | $48,310 | 610 |
| South Carolina | $35,000 | $33,030 | 340 |
| Tennessee | $35,830 | $38,650 | 170 |
| Texas | $37,290 | $36,260 | 1,540 |
| Utah | $43,050 | $48,040 | 290 |
| Virginia | $48,290 | $46,060 | 300 |
| Washington | $56,380 | $54,300 | 100 |
| Wisconsin | $41,590 | $43,300 | 210 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$51,870
1,150 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$65,180
1,100 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$38,400
420 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$50,580
270 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$47,730
240 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$40,250
240 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$54,780
230 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$56,330
220 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers make?
The average is $45,140 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $41,640 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $21.70, and the median is $20.02 an hour.
Which state pays tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers the most?
District of Columbia, with an average of $65,530 a year. The best-paying metro area is New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ at $65,180.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $29,920 a year, and the top 10% earn over $63,670.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 51-6052. 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.