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 2025

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Southeast Minnesota	190	24	$18.41/hr	$12.79/hr	$16.22/hr	$18.69/hr	$21.61/hr	$22.79/hr

Leading Industries for Sewing Machine Operators

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Manufacturing	1,620	$19.36/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	460	$22.43/hr
Information	N/A	N/A
Financial Activities	N/A	N/A
Professional and Business Services	220	$16.97/hr
Other Services	60	$21.69/hr
Public Administration	N/A	N/A

Other Regional Data for Sewing Machine Operators

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	N/A	N/A	N/A
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	20	$19.20/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	30	$20.21/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	70	$17.72/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	80	$19.90/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	100	$19.15/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	110	$18.39/hr	-13.5%
Southwest Balance of State	110	$18.39/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	150	$18.26/hr	-6.3%
Duluth MN-WI MSA	150	$18.26/hr	N/A
Northwest Balance of State	160	$18.33/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	160	$18.20/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	190	$18.32/hr	-9.0%
Southeast Minnesota	190	$18.69/hr	-3.6%
Central Minnesota	250	$19.49/hr	-5.2%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	1,420	$19.80/hr	-1.5%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	1,530	$19.80/hr	N/A
Minnesota	2,370	$19.79/hr	-4.1%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Helpers--Production Workers	3,040	$20.65/hr	-6.3%
Cutters and Trimmers, Hand	50	$23.13/hr	-21.7%
Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	70	$21.48/hr	7.4%
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators	2,050	$27.96/hr	-10.9%
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	56,030	$22.13/hr	6.7%
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic	730	$22.04/hr	5.7%
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood	850	$23.91/hr	3.2%
Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,950	$27.26/hr	-5.6%
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers	9,420	$28.71/hr	6.1%
Machine Feeders and Offbearers	400	$24.18/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.