Pay by state · 51 states
Sewing Machine Operator Salary by State (2026)
Sewing Machine Operators earn the most in Nevada at $45,750 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $21,840 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $36,670. All 51 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $45,750Nevada
- National median
- $36,670BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $21,840Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 51of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Sewing Machine Operator salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of sewing machine operators OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NVNevada | $45,750 | $37,080 | $54,870 | 910 | $45,760 |
| 2 | AKAlaska | $43,850 | $36,710 | $56,900 | 40 | $42,839 |
| 3 | COColorado | $43,840 | $37,920 | $47,720 | 970 | $42,542 |
| 4 | MEMaine | $43,520 | $38,270 | $47,130 | 700 | $44,843 |
| 5 | WAWashington | $43,360 | $39,130 | $46,470 | 1,600 | $40,518 |
| 6 | MAMassachusetts | $42,910 | $37,620 | $46,160 | 1,540 | $40,574 |
| 7 | NHNew Hampshire | $41,740 | $34,790 | $49,860 | 190 | $40,071 |
| 8 | VTVermont | $40,850 | $36,440 | $44,880 | 220 | $41,702 |
| 9 | WIWisconsin | $40,370 | $36,620 | $46,960 | 2,370 | $42,903 |
| 10 | AZArizona | $40,210 | $36,660 | $45,430 | 1,420 | $39,940 |
| 11 | OROregon | $39,780 | $36,080 | $47,510 | 1,250 | $38,486 |
| 12 | HIHawaii | $39,230 | $35,120 | $48,180 | 280 | $35,680 |
| 13 | SDSouth Dakota | $39,000 | $32,210 | $44,980 | 300 | $44,025 |
| 14 | MNMinnesota | $38,930 | $35,520 | $47,120 | 1,890 | $39,474 |
| 15 | RIRhode Island | $38,670 | $33,280 | $45,870 | 270 | $37,808 |
| 16 | NYNew York | $38,480 | $36,790 | $45,730 | 6,130 | $35,656 |
| 17 | INIndiana | $38,440 | $33,420 | $45,290 | 3,400 | $41,188 |
| 18 | SCSouth Carolina | $38,250 | $32,840 | $43,530 | 2,460 | $40,800 |
| 19 | CACalifornia | $37,940 | $36,380 | $44,280 | 13,240 | $34,267 |
| 20 | CTConnecticut | $37,780 | $34,830 | $44,030 | 480 | $36,464 |
| 21 | DEDelaware | $37,690 | $34,500 | $44,350 | 60 | $37,763 |
| 22 | MSMississippi | $37,600 | $30,460 | $42,700 | 2,270 | $43,242 |
| 23 | MIMichigan | $37,490 | $30,300 | $43,390 | 3,210 | $38,964 |
| 24 | IDIdaho | $37,160 | $34,480 | $42,720 | 410 | $38,913 |
| 25 | NENebraska | $37,060 | $31,680 | $40,170 | 300 | $41,131 |
| 26 | MTMontana | $36,740 | $29,070 | $42,380 | 190 | $38,819 |
| 27 | WYWyoming | $36,510 | $31,680 | $38,760 | 110 | $39,389 |
| 28 | ILIllinois | $36,220 | $34,860 | $42,100 | 4,060 | $36,235 |
| 29 | NJNew Jersey | $36,130 | $33,330 | $39,100 | 2,750 | $33,206 |
| 30 | IAIowa | $35,870 | $31,740 | $39,660 | 590 | $40,872 |
| 31 | MDMaryland | $35,860 | $31,360 | $42,880 | 1,390 | $34,166 |
| 32 | VAVirginia | $35,790 | $29,730 | $42,240 | 2,010 | $35,399 |
| 33 | OHOhio | $35,760 | $32,210 | $38,790 | 4,100 | $38,545 |
| 34 | NDNorth Dakota | $35,700 | $33,260 | $42,110 | 110 | $40,131 |
| 35 | PAPennsylvania | $35,640 | $30,850 | $39,640 | 3,390 | $36,527 |
| 36 | ARArkansas | $35,630 | $29,340 | $38,640 | 860 | $40,984 |
| 37 | MOMissouri | $35,610 | $30,130 | $37,350 | 2,320 | $39,211 |
| 38 | UTUtah | $35,550 | $32,470 | $39,410 | 1,020 | $35,958 |
| 39 | KSKansas | $35,360 | $30,130 | $38,020 | 650 | $39,259 |
| 40 | NCNorth Carolina | $35,160 | $28,940 | $40,150 | 8,290 | $37,275 |
| 41 | NMNew Mexico | $34,840 | $29,970 | $37,030 | 220 | $37,783 |
| 42 | GAGeorgia | $34,790 | $29,670 | $37,890 | 3,420 | $36,129 |
| 43 | TNTennessee | $34,220 | $23,500 | $40,310 | 3,300 | $37,248 |
| 44 | OKOklahoma | $33,340 | $27,590 | $36,990 | 580 | $37,954 |
| 45 | FLFlorida | $33,270 | $28,290 | $36,750 | 6,790 | $32,172 |
| 46 | TXTexas | $31,000 | $26,200 | $37,400 | 6,950 | $31,940 |
| 47 | ALAlabama | $30,830 | $27,390 | $35,410 | 2,300 | $34,709 |
| 48 | LALouisiana | $29,600 | $23,930 | $34,210 | 610 | $33,557 |
| 49 | KYKentucky | $29,460 | $24,070 | $36,170 | 2,750 | $32,676 |
| 50 | WVWest Virginia | $29,320 | $25,340 | $35,990 | 180 | $32,761 |
| 51 | PRPuerto Rico | $21,840 | $21,840 | $21,930 | 5,410 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Sewing Machine Operators, that changes the ranking: Nevada leads on raw pay at $45,750, while Nevada leads once prices are taken into account at $45,760.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Sewing Machine Operator pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Sewing Machine Operators the most?
Nevada reports the highest median wage for Sewing Machine Operators at $45,750 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Alaska ($43,850) and Colorado ($43,840).
Which state pays Sewing Machine Operators the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Sewing Machine Operators at $21,840 a year, $23,910 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Sewing Machine Operators earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Nevada first at $45,760 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $45,750. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.