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Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers in New York

Want to work as a Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers in New York? Here’s what you need to know. Design, make, alter, repair, or fit garments.

What do Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers Make in New York?

For tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers working in New York, wages run about $57,280 per year (or about $27.54/hour).Earnings range from $39,060 at the 10th percentile to $85,550 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$39,060	$18.78
25th percentile	$44,040	$21.17
Median (50th)	$57,280	$27.54
75th percentile	$68,380	$32.88
90th percentile	$85,550	$41.13

Location quotient — how concentrated this career is in New York compared to the national average — is 1.39, meaning that tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers earn a median of $40,404 per year ($19.43/hour), exceeding the New York median.

Employment Outlook

Nationally, total employment in this occupation is 860,064 tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers in the U.S.. In New York alone, around 1,400 people work in this role. That’s higher than the typical state, which employs around 230 tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers.

Top New York Metros for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers

These are the New York metros with the most tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers in New York.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	1,630	$60,320
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY	70	$40,320
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY	60	$44,800
Rochester, NY	60	$39,350
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY	50	$44,720
Syracuse, NY	50	$39,460

Top States for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers Employment

The table below shows the states where the most tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers work.

State	Number Employed
California	2,240
Texas	1,840
Florida	1,410
New York	1,400
New Jersey	710
Minnesota	600
South Carolina	550
Pennsylvania	500
Michigan	490
Massachusetts	490
North Carolina	480
Virginia	450
Illinois	360
Missouri	340
Ohio	270
Indiana	260
Maryland	260
Georgia	230
Louisiana	230
Tennessee	230

Highest-Paying States for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers

These states pay the most for tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers.

State	Annual Median Salary
District of Columbia	$57,380
New York	$57,280
Maryland	$52,000
Washington	$51,010
Oklahoma	$50,710
Pennsylvania	$49,250
Connecticut	$47,360
Hawaii	$46,990
Nevada	$46,020
Massachusetts	$45,770

Skills

Top tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Core knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

The abilities that matter most for tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers typically:

• 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.
• Make garment style changes, such as tapering pant legs, narrowing lapels, and adding or removing padding.
• Maintain garment drape and proportions as alterations are performed.
• Take up or let down hems to shorten or lengthen garment parts, such as sleeves.
• Repair or replace defective garment parts, such as pockets, zippers, snaps, buttons, and linings.

Work Activities

• Controlling Machines and Processes
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
• Thinking Creatively
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
• Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Getting Information
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
• Scheduling Work and Activities
• Developing Objectives and Strategies

Tools & Technology

Technologies frequently used: Hot technologies: Google Docs

Related Careers

Related occupations to tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers include:

• Fashion Designers
• Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic
• Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic
• Print Binding and Finishing Workers
• Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers
• Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials

Also Known As

Alteration Tailor, Alterations Associate, Alterations Expert, Alterations Sewer, Alterations Specialist, Alterations Tailor, Alterations and Tailor Shop Fitter, Alterations and Tailor Shop Sewer, Appliquer, Bridal Designer, Bridal Gown Fitter, Cloth Cutter, Clothing Busheler, Clothing Cutter, Clothing Pattern Designer.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 51-6052.00