All careersSkilled trades

Tailor / Dressmaker

$40,860
median pay per year
full range coming in the next data update

What the job actually is

Measure clients, then cut, sew, and alter garments so clothing fits and hangs the way it should.

Where you work

Tailor shops, dry cleaners, and stores

The hours

Full time, regular business hours

By the numbers

May 2024–25 BLS wage data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$40,860
per year
What most earn
range coming soon
Openings a year
~5,000
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
-4%
Declining
Working in the U.S.
38,800
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

How you get in

Typical starting education

No formal credential

Training path: On-the-job training, no degree needed.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

What it takes

SewingMeasuringPattern workAttention to detail

The honest take

Measures, alters, and sews clothing to fit, a trade learned mostly on the job as demand slowly declines.

Standard Occupational Classification 51-6052. Pay, employment, and outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wage survey and 2024–34 employment projections). See something off? Tell us.