Home / Apprenticeships / Occupations / Sewing Machine Operators
Sewing Machine Operators: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 51-6031.00
Approved apprenticeship titles
2 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Sewing Machine Operators, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,065 hours, for Industrial Sewing Machine Operator (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| FUR FINISHER | 0210 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| Industrial Sewing Machine Operator | 2058 | Competency-Based: 2,065 hours Hybrid: 2,065 to 2,581 hours Time-Based: 2,065 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What sewing machine operators earn, by state
Nevada has the highest state median for sewing machine operators ($45,750) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($21,840), across the 51 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | $45,750 | $21.99 | 910 |
| Alaska | $43,850 | $21.08 | 40 |
| Colorado | $43,840 | $21.08 | 970 |
| Maine | $43,520 | $20.92 | 700 |
| Washington | $43,360 | $20.85 | 1,600 |
| Massachusetts | $42,910 | $20.63 | 1,540 |
| New Hampshire | $41,740 | $20.07 | 190 |
| Vermont | $40,850 | $19.64 | 220 |
| Wisconsin | $40,370 | $19.41 | 2,370 |
| Arizona | $40,210 | $19.33 | 1,420 |
| Oregon | $39,780 | $19.12 | 1,250 |
| Hawaii | $39,230 | $18.86 | 280 |
| South Dakota | $39,000 | $18.75 | 300 |
| Minnesota | $38,930 | $18.72 | 1,890 |
| Rhode Island | $38,670 | $18.59 | 270 |
| New York | $38,480 | $18.50 | 6,130 |
| Indiana | $38,440 | $18.48 | 3,400 |
| South Carolina | $38,250 | $18.39 | 2,460 |
| California | $37,940 | $18.24 | 13,240 |
| Connecticut | $37,780 | $18.16 | 480 |
| Delaware | $37,690 | $18.12 | 60 |
| Mississippi | $37,600 | $18.08 | 2,270 |
| Michigan | $37,490 | $18.02 | 3,210 |
| Idaho | $37,160 | $17.87 | 410 |
| Nebraska | $37,060 | $17.82 | 300 |
| Montana | $36,740 | $17.66 | 190 |
| Wyoming | $36,510 | $17.55 | 110 |
| Illinois | $36,220 | $17.41 | 4,060 |
| New Jersey | $36,130 | $17.37 | 2,750 |
| Iowa | $35,870 | $17.25 | 590 |
| Maryland | $35,860 | $17.24 | 1,390 |
| Virginia | $35,790 | $17.21 | 2,010 |
| Ohio | $35,760 | $17.19 | 4,100 |
| North Dakota | $35,700 | $17.16 | 110 |
| Pennsylvania | $35,640 | $17.13 | 3,390 |
| Arkansas | $35,630 | $17.13 | 860 |
| Missouri | $35,610 | $17.12 | 2,320 |
| Utah | $35,550 | $17.09 | 1,020 |
| Kansas | $35,360 | $17.00 | 650 |
| North Carolina | $35,160 | $16.91 | 8,290 |
| New Mexico | $34,840 | $16.75 | 220 |
| Georgia | $34,790 | $16.72 | 3,420 |
| Tennessee | $34,220 | $16.45 | 3,300 |
| Oklahoma | $33,340 | $16.03 | 580 |
| Florida | $33,270 | $16.00 | 6,790 |
| Texas | $31,000 | $14.90 | 6,950 |
| Alabama | $30,830 | $14.82 | 2,300 |
| Louisiana | $29,600 | $14.23 | 610 |
| Kentucky | $29,460 | $14.17 | 2,750 |
| West Virginia | $29,320 | $14.10 | 180 |
| Puerto Rico | $21,840 | $10.50 | 5,410 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).