Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

51-6031 Sewing Machine Operators

Occupational Description:
Operate or tend sewing machines to join, reinforce, decorate, or perform related sewing operations in the manufacture of garment or nongarment products.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2024

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Minnesota	2,160	261	$19.32/hr	$15.65/hr	$17.67/hr	$18.77/hr	$21.20/hr	$23.52/hr

Leading Industries for Sewing Machine Operators

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Manufacturing	1,710	$18.77/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	210	$18.88/hr
Information	N/A	N/A
Financial Activities	N/A	N/A
Professional and Business Services	100	$17.62/hr
Leisure and Hospitality	N/A	N/A
Other Services	110	$20.82/hr
Public Administration	N/A	N/A

Other Regional Data for Sewing Machine Operators

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	N/A	N/A	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	30	$19.29/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	100	$17.75/hr	-13.5%
Fargo ND-MN MSA	100	$18.66/hr	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	100	$17.75/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	130	$18.18/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	150	$18.32/hr	-3.6%
Duluth MN-WI MSA	150	$18.41/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	160	$18.41/hr	-6.3%
St Cloud MN MSA	160	$18.33/hr	N/A
Northwest Balance of State	210	$17.31/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	230	$17.30/hr	-9.0%
Central Minnesota	300	$18.35/hr	-5.2%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	1,190	$19.10/hr	-1.5%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	1,310	$19.11/hr	N/A
Minnesota	2,160	$18.77/hr	-4.1%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Helpers--Production Workers	3,150	$19.57/hr	-6.3%
Cutters and Trimmers, Hand	80	$19.51/hr	-21.7%
Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	90	$23.95/hr	7.4%
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators	2,340	$26.50/hr	-10.9%
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	54,740	$22.28/hr	6.7%
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic	480	$22.13/hr	5.7%
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood	750	$23.76/hr	3.2%
Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	2,280	$24.85/hr	-5.6%
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers	9,670	$27.54/hr	6.1%
Machine Feeders and Offbearers	430	$22.96/hr	1.7%

Task for Sewing Machine Operators

Record quantities of materials processed.
Guide garments or garment parts under machine needles and presser feet to sew parts together.
Remove holding devices and finished items from machines.
Cut excess material or thread from finished products.
Repair or alter items by adding replacement parts or missing stitches.
Turn knobs, screws, and dials to adjust settings of machines, according to garment styles and equipment performance.
Perform equipment maintenance tasks such as replacing needles, sanding rough areas of needles, or cleaning and oiling sewing machines.
Inspect garments, and examine repair tags and markings on garments to locate defects or damage, and mark errors as necessary.
Place spools of thread, cord, or other materials on spindles, insert bobbins, and thread ends through machine guides and components.
Position items under needles, using marks on machines, clamps, templates, or cloth as guides.