Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenderss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $40,720 ≈ $20/hr
National median salary $39,530
Total employment 13,030 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth -11.2% Decline
Annual openings 1,700 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 15,300 → 13,600 (-1,700)
Typical entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

Mean annual wage $32,000–$37,000 $37,000–$40,000 $40,000–$43,000 $43,000–$48,000 $48,000–$50,000 U.S. mean $40,720

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. Ohio$49,800
  2. Washington$48,790
  3. New York$48,250
  4. New Hampshire$48,220
  5. Wisconsin$47,940

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. Texas$32,330
  2. Louisiana$34,870
  3. Tennessee$36,090
  4. Iowa$36,410
  5. Michigan$36,830
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 Ohio $49,800 $45,040 $24 +22.3% 60
2 Washington $48,790 $48,220 $23 +19.8% 110
3 New York $48,250 $49,570 $23 +18.5% 230
4 New Hampshire $48,220 $48,440 $23 +18.4% 70
5 Wisconsin $47,940 $45,610 $23 +17.7% 150
6 Minnesota $47,640 $46,430 $23 +17% 50
7 Maine $47,310 $48,350 $23 +16.2% 160
8 Pennsylvania $46,540 $45,580 $22 +14.3% 510
9 Massachusetts $45,760 $44,190 $22 +12.4% 180
10 California $43,950 $44,530 $21 +7.9% 590
11 Illinois $43,010 $42,950 $21 +5.6% 70
12 Georgia $41,560 $40,930 $20 +2.1% 3,550
13 Rhode Island $41,340 $38,760 $20 +1.5% 250
14 South Carolina $41,290 $39,760 $20 +1.4% 1,500
15 Indiana $39,800 $37,160 $19 -2.3% 50

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 35 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH $47,960 $49,780 90
2 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $47,710 $45,380 50
3 Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area $46,160 $45,560 50
4 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $45,580 $48,240 130
5 Chattanooga, TN-GA $44,880 $41,030 220
6 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA $44,790 $44,100 820
7 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $44,530 $44,080 530
8 Central Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area $43,410 $42,080 100
9 Manchester-Nashua, NH $43,320 $47,070 30
10 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA $42,500 $44,600 100

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenderss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Plastics Product Manufacturing $60,510 $57,590
2 Other Textile Product Mills $43,300 $45,660 120
3 Textile Product Mills $42,170 $41,900 2,800
4 Fiber, Yarn, and Thread Mills $41,840 $39,800 130
5 Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing $40,930 $44,900 300
6 Rubber Product Manufacturing $40,930 $43,280 270
7 Textile Furnishings Mills $40,700 $41,730 2,680
8 Miscellaneous Manufacturing $39,960 $43,170 160
9 Sectors 31, 32, and 33 - Manufacturing $39,560 $40,830 12,540
10 Cross-Industry, Private, Federal, State, and Local $39,530 $40,720 13,030
11 Cross-industry, Private Ownership only $39,530 $40,720 13,030
12 Textile Mills $39,430 $40,830 7,600

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2017, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
4,156
$10-20k
1,254
$20-30k
3,342
$30-40k
1,244
$40-50k
726
$50-60k
82
$70-80k
217

Pay by age band

16-24
$13,391
25-34
$22,821
35-44
$18,268
45-54
$24,838
55-64
$18,529
65+
$25,953

Education level

Regular high school diploma
$18,083
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$15,580
Grade 10
$21,747
No schooling completed
$11,719
GED or alternative credential
$22,489
Bachelors Degree
$9,429
Grade 11
$48,209
Grade 9
$11,688
Some college, but less than 1 year
$15,402
Grade 4
$26,080
Associates Degree
$20,048
Grade 5
$3,058
Grade 8
Grade 6
$28,718
12th grade - no diploma
$21,538
Masters Degree
Grade 7

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
5,830 · $30,255
Part-time
955 · $8,641

Race / ethnicity

White
$19,404
Black
$21,703
Other
$6,966
Asian
$17,601
American Indian
$4,989
Two or More Races
$5,056

Top fields of study

English Language And Literature
$2,022
Sociology
Journalism
$50,559
Marketing And Marketing Research
French German Latin And Other Common Foreign Language Studies
Music
Accounting
$10,112
Art And Music Education

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Operations Monitoring
3.4
Monitoring
3.1
Operation and Control
3.0
Active Listening
3.0
Quality Control Analysis
2.9
Speaking
2.9
Critical Thinking
2.9
Reading Comprehension
2.8
Time Management
2.6
Equipment Maintenance
2.5
Complex Problem Solving
2.5
Judgment and Decision Making
2.5

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders make in the U.S.?

The median textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders salary in the United States is $39,530 per year (mean $40,720), and about 80% earn between $29,960 and $49,130.

How much do textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders make per hour?

Roughly $20 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $40,720 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders the most?

Ohio has the highest average pay for textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders at $49,800 per year (median $45,040).

What is the job outlook for textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders?

Employment is projected to change -11.2% from 2024 to 2034 (Decline), with about 1,700 openings per year.