Occupational Employment and Wages, 2002

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
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area 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)
277,800 1.4 % $8.99 $18,710 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $6.40 $7.12 $8.39 $10.34 $12.66
Annual Wage (2) $13,320 $14,820 $17,440 $21,510 $26,340

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Cut and sew apparel manufacturing 118,330 $8.18 $17,010 1 77
Textile furnishings mills 22,120 $8.82 $18,350 2 62
Other textile product mills 21,820 $9.16 $19,050 3 54
Household and institutional furniture mfg. 17,260 $11.49 $23,910 4 9
Accessories and other apparel manufacturing 9,130 $8.11 $16,860 5 78

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing 140 $14.39 $29,940 54 1
Federal government (OES designation) 170 $13.96 $29,050 49 2
State government (OES designation) 70 $12.88 $26,790 63 3
Spring and wire product manufacturing 120 $12.07 $25,110 57 4
General medical and surgical hospitals 70 $12.01 $24,970 64 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Mississippi 8,750 $9.75 $20,290 0.805% 501
Kentucky 10,000 $9.32 $19,390 0.582% 525
North Carolina 20,070 $10.05 $20,910 0.540% 579
Alabama 9,830 $8.18 $17,020 0.540% 592
California 61,890 $8.31 $17,290 0.428% 677

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Michigan 4,690 $12.77 $26,550 0.108% 506
Alaska 90 $12.02 $25,000 0.031% 380
District of Columbia 30 $10.74 $22,330 0.005% 377
Rhode Island 640 $10.65 $22,160 0.136% 439
Wisconsin 4,420 $10.48 $21,800 0.164% 576

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, NC MSA 3,860 $12.47 $25,930 2.357%
New Bedford, MA PMSA 820 $8.75 $18,200 1.260%
Clarksville-Hopkinsville, TN-KY MSA 710 $9.09 $18,910 1.087%
Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA PMSA 42,150 $8.09 $16,820 1.047%
Rocky Mount, NC MSA 520 $8.00 $16,650 0.840%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Janesville-Beloit, WI MSA 130 $15.33 $31,880 0.197%
Detroit, MI PMSA 3,130 $14.06 $29,250 0.156%
Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, NC MSA 3,860 $12.47 $25,930 2.357%
Lowell, MA-NH PMSA 80 $12.32 $25,630 0.064%
Sheboygan, WI MSA 30 $12.32 $25,620 0.052%

About 2002 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Data for detailed occupations does not sum to the totals because the totals include data for occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

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2002 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

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Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 26, 2003