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Skilled Trades

Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers

Design, make, alter, repair, or fit garments.

Median salary (BLS)

$41,640

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$30k – $64k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

Plan a path to Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: No degree required

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$100–$2,600

Time to qualify

3.1 yr

Renewal

$50/yr

  1. 1

    Registered apprenticeship (paid)

    Experience

    Earn-while-you-learn training — apprentices are paid during the program; fees are tools/books, not tuition.

    $0–$2,000 · 36 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    Journeyman exam & state/local license

    License

    Most states and municipalities test and license journeyman-level trades workers.

    $100–$600 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers

    Entry / Junior

    $29,920

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers

    Established

    $41,640

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers

    Senior

    $52,655

Key skills

A typical day

  • •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.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Skilled Trades

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.