Sewing Machine Operator Salary in North Carolina: $37,500 Average

Home › Production › Sewing Machine Operator › North Carolina

Average base salary, North Carolina

$37,500 / year

≈ $3,150 per month · $18.03 per hour

LocationOr metro area

BLS May 2025 state data for North Carolina · median $36,500

25th percentile
$30,000Average
$37,50075th percentile
$41,500

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.

Sewing Machine Operator salary by state

Alabama$33,000

Alaska$48,000

Arizona$42,500

Arkansas$37,000

California$42,500

Colorado$45,000

Connecticut$41,500

Delaware$40,500

Florida$36,000

Georgia$35,500

Hawaii$44,500

Idaho$39,500

Illinois$40,000

Indiana$41,500

Iowa$38,000

Kansas$36,500

Kentucky$32,000

Louisiana$31,000

Maine$44,000

Maryland$40,500

Massachusetts$44,500

Michigan$39,000

Minnesota$43,000

Mississippi$38,000

Missouri$36,500

Montana$38,500

Nebraska$39,000

Nevada$46,000

New Hampshire$44,500

New Jersey$39,000

New Mexico$36,000

New York$43,500

North Carolina$37,500

North Dakota$39,500

Ohio$37,500

Oklahoma$34,500

Oregon$43,500

Pennsylvania$37,500

Rhode Island$42,500

South Carolina$39,000

South Dakota$40,000

Tennessee$35,000

Texas$33,500

Utah$38,500

Vermont$42,500

Virginia$38,000

Washington$45,500

West Virginia$32,500

Wisconsin$43,000

Wyoming$37,500

About this role

Sewing Machine Operator is a professional role within the function in the Production job family.

Pay for this title reflects both its level and its scope; see our Title Level and Organization Responsibility guides for how WePayFairly defines them.

What Sewing Machine Operators do

Typical education: Less than a High School Diploma

Monitor machine operation to detect problems such as defective stitching, breaks in thread, or machine malfunctions.
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.
Guide garments or garment parts under machine needles and presser feet to sew parts together.
Remove holding devices and finished items from machines.

Top skills: Monitoring Time Management Quality Control Analysis Operations Monitoring Judgment and Decision Making Critical Thinking

Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).

Sewing Machine Operator pay by experience level

Entry level$29,000

Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)

Early career$33,000

A few years in (about the 25th percentile)

Experienced$38,000

Mid-career median pay

Senior$44,500

Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)

Top earners$49,500

Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)

Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.

Job outlook

-10.8%

projected change in jobs, 2024–2034

13,000

projected openings per year

Declining

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.

Sewing Machine Operator salary by industry

Apparel Manufacturing

25,280 workers

$37,000

Textile Product Mills

23,640 workers

$39,000

Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing

20,940 workers

$37,500

Other Textile Product Mills

17,920 workers

$39,000

Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing

9,230 workers

$43,000

Textile Furnishings Mills

5,730 workers

$38,500

Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only)

5,450 workers

$44,000

Printing and Related Support Activities

5,440 workers

$40,000

Printing and Related Support Activities

5,440 workers

$40,000

Miscellaneous Manufacturing

4,950 workers

$39,500

National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.

How this role compares

Sewing Machine Operator pays 30% below the average across 112 roles in the Production job family (family average $56,000).

Similar-paying roles in Production

Sewers, Hand$38,500

Baker$40,000

Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders$37,500

Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers$40,500

Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$41,000

Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$41,500

Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$36,000

Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders$42,000

Cutters and Trimmers, Hand$42,500

Slaughterers and Meat Packers$43,500

Careers related to Sewing Machine Operator

Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders$37,500

Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials$36,000

Cutters and Trimmers, Hand$42,500

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,000

Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$42,000

Sewers, Hand$38,500

Related occupations from O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Sewing Machine Operator make?

The average base salary for a Sewing Machine Operator in the United States is $39,000 per year, or about $18.75 per hour.

What is the typical salary range?

Pay typically falls between $33,000 and $44,500 per year (25th to 75th percentile) depending on experience, location, industry, and organization size.

How does this compare with other Production roles?

The Production job family averages $56,000 across 112 roles tracked by WePayFairly.

Need a defensible market price for this role?
WePayFairly data is compiled from published survey sources and maintained by compensation professionals.

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