Occupation salary profile

Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders

SOC 51-6061 BLS OEWS May 2025

Operate or tend machines to bleach, shrink, wash, dye, or finish textiles or synthetic or glass fibers.

National median · BLS
$38,180
▲ +2.3% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$40,380
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
5,310
Jobs (BLS)
Highest-paying state (cost-adjusted) Loading…
Most jobs Loading…
Highest-paying metro (cost-adjusted) Loading…

Check your salary

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 Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay$30,300
25th$35,680
Median (50th)$38,180
75th$45,280
90th — top pay$48,100

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 Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders

BLS projects employment of textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders to decline 12.5% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%. About 600 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
5,700 → 5,000
-700 jobs
Projected change
-12.5%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
600
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
5% 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.
Fastest-declining jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a high school diploma →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Operations Monitoring3.8
  • Operation and Control3.4
  • Active Listening3.0
  • Monitoring3.0
  • Time Management3.0
  • Critical Thinking2.9
  • Judgment and Decision Making2.9
  • Quality Control Analysis2.9
  • Reading Comprehension2.9
  • Speaking2.9
Top knowledge areas
  • Production and Processing3.4
  • Public Safety and Security2.6
  • Education and Training2.5
  • Administration and Management2.5
  • Customer and Personal Service2.5
  • Mathematics2.4
  • English Language2.3
  • Mechanical2.3
Software and technology used
LinuxMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordSAP softwareHewlett-Packard HP OpenVMS

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 textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders do

  • Weigh ingredients, such as dye, to be mixed together for use in textile processing.
  • Start and control machines and equipment to wash, bleach, dye, or otherwise process and finish fabric, yarn, thread, or other textile goods.
  • Observe display screens, control panels, equipment, and cloth entering or exiting processes to determine if equipment is operating correctly.
  • Notify supervisors or mechanics of equipment malfunctions.
  • Monitor factors such as temperatures and dye flow rates to ensure that they are within specified ranges.
  • Add dyes, water, detergents, or chemicals to tanks to dilute or strengthen solutions, according to established formulas and solution test results.
  • Examine and feel products to identify defects and variations from coloring and other processing standards.
  • Adjust equipment controls to maintain specified heat, tension, and speed.
Also called
Dye Machine OperatorDye OperatorDyerMachine Operator (Machine Op)Beck OperatorDye House WorkerDye Line OperatorDye Tub OperatorJet Dyeing Machine OperatorTub Operator
More job titles for this occupation (80)
AgerAger OperatorAger TenderAging Box HandAmmonia Box OperatorAmmonia Box TenderAsh Kier BoilerAutoclave OperatorAutomation OperatorAutomation TenderBack WasherBag BleacherBark TannerBeam DyerBeam Dyer OperatorBlancherBlanching Machine OperatorBleach Machine OperatorBleach Range OperatorBleacherBlenderChain DyerChemical CoordinatorCloth Boil Off Machine OperatorCloth ColorerCloth Dye-Range OperatorCloth DyerCloth FinisherCloth Finishing Range OperatorCloth Finishing Range TenderCloth PainterCloth ShaderCloth ShrinkerCloth Shrinking Machine OperatorCloth WasherCloth Washer OperatorColor BlenderColor GrinderColor MakerColor MatcherColor Room AttendantColorerColoring Machine OperatorColorist DyerDye Automation OperatorDye Box OperatorDye Can OperatorDye Colorist DyerDye FeederDye House HandDye House Vat WorkerDye House Wheel OperatorDye Jig OperatorDye Padder OperatorDye Range OperatorDye Reel OperatorDye Tank TenderDye Tub TenderDye WorkerDyed Yarn OperatorFelt CarbonizerFelt Washing Machine TenderFinisher OperatorFinishing Frame RunnerFinishing Machine OperatorFinishing Machine TenderFinishing Room OperatorInk Jet OperatorJet Dyeing Machine TenderJig Box OperatorJig HandJig OperatorJig WorkerJiggerJigger OperatorKettle CoordinatorKettle TenderKier BoilerKier HandKier Operator

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.