Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.
Pay range for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$29,920
25th
$35,230
Median (50th)
$41,640
75th
$50,200
90th — top pay
$63,670
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
Type in either box; the other updates instantly.
⇄
Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers
BLS projects employment of tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers to decline 8.8% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%.
About 3,700 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
33,200 → 30,300
-2,900 jobs
Projected change
-8.8%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
3,700
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
No formal educational credential
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
58.4% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers do
Measure parts, such as sleeves or pant legs, and mark or pin-fold alteration lines.
Remove stitches from garments to be altered, using rippers or razor blades.
Sew garments, using needles and thread or sewing machines.
Let out or take in seams in suits and other garments to improve fit.
Measure customers, using tape measures, and record measurements.
Fit and study garments on customers to determine required alterations.
Trim excess material, using scissors.
Assemble garment parts and join parts with basting stitches, using needles and thread or sewing machines.
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $41,640.
