Sewing machine operators

The median annual salary for Sewing machine operators in the US is $36,000.

The role is projected to decline by 11% over the next decade. Current US employment is approximately 124,000 workers.

The typical entry education is a No formal educational credential. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.

The most in-demand skills for this role include buttonholing, manufacturing of wearing apparel, properties of textile materials, manufacturing of made-up textile articles, apparel manufacturing technology, manufacture wearing apparel products. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.

Our AI-durability model gives Sewing machine operators a score of 0.54 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.

Sewing machine operators has low barrier to entry — generally accessible — you can enter with basic credentials and on-the-job learning.