Production Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 51-6021

Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials

Median pay sits 53% below the mid peer in Production Occupations (neighbors include Nuclear Power Reactor Operators, Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers, Model Makers, Metal and Plastic, Chemical Plant and System Operators).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators ($123K) , Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers ($63K) , Model Makers, Metal and Plastic ($63K) , Chemical Plant and System Operators ($78K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 51-6021 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Hang, fold, package, and tag finished articles for delivery to customers
  2. 2. Operate steam, hydraulic, or other pressing machines to remove wrinkles from garments and flatwork items, or to shape, form, or patch art…
  3. 3. Straighten, smooth, or shape materials to prepare them for pressing
  4. 4. Remove finished pieces from pressing machines and hang or stack them for cooling, or forward them for additional processing
  5. 5. Finish pleated garments, determining sizes of pleats from evidence of old pleats or from work orders, using machine presses or hand irons
  6. 6. Lower irons, rams, or pressing heads of machines into position over material to be pressed
  7. 7. Identify and treat spots on garments
  8. 8. Shrink, stretch, or block articles by hand to conform to original measurements, using forms, blocks, and steam
  9. 9. Finish fancy garments such as evening gowns and costumes, using hand irons to produce high quality finishes
  10. 10. Push and pull irons over surfaces of articles to smooth or shape them
  11. 11. Finish pants, jackets, shirts, skirts and other dry-cleaned and laundered articles, using hand irons
  12. 12. Slide material back and forth over heated, metal, ball-shaped forms to smooth and press portions of garments that cannot be satisfactoril…

Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials: O*NET ranks Operation and Control first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 51-6021 - lead skill Operation and Control at 3.0 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operation and Control 3.0
  2. 2. Critical Thinking 2.5
  3. 3. Operations Monitoring 2.5
  4. 4. Time Management 2.5
  5. 5. Monitoring 2.4
  6. 6. Complex Problem Solving 2.3
  7. 7. Equipment Maintenance 2.3
  8. 8. Troubleshooting 2.3

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 3.6
  2. 2. Production and Processing 3.3
  3. 3. English Language 2.9
  4. 4. Public Safety and Security 2.9
  5. 5. Education and Training 2.6
  6. 6. Administration and Management 2.5
Pay vs Production Occupations peers
-53%
vs mid peer median $74,450
This role $35,060/yr
$35K
National median
↓ -14%
Growth 2024-2034
2,800
Annual openings
26,120
Estimated US jobs
Nuclear Power Reactor Operators
Highest-pay peer · $123K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential

Top Paying States for Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials

1. California $39,300
2. New Jersey $37,920
3. Maine $38,020
4. New York $36,510
5. Washington $37,620
6. Illinois $40,230
7. New Hampshire $38,540
8. Colorado $38,300
9. Oregon $36,860
10. Arizona $36,870

Other Production Occupations titles

  1. 1. Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers $62,750
  2. 2. Model Makers, Metal and Plastic $63,340
  3. 3. Nuclear Power Reactor Operators $122,890
  4. 4. Chemical Plant and System Operators $78,120
  5. 5. Power Distributors and Dispatchers $106,730
  6. 6. Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators $78,620

Among Production Occupations peers on this card, Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials sits 53% below the mid peer median ($74,450). Its own median is $35,060.

Employment Projections expect -14% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 2,800 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: California at $39,300. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators at $122,890. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials pay-rank #104 in Production Occupations

On the Production Occupations median table (105 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials lands at #104, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials pays 53% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 51-6021

California · top state for Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials

$39K published median

New Jersey · #2 state pay

$38K · behind California

Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

Highest-pay peer vs Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials · $123K

Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers

Lower-pay peer beside Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials · $63K

Compare Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials

Against another occupation

Nuclear Power Reactor Operators card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials land on the Production Occupations median table? ▼
Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials is pay-rank #104 of 105 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers ($35K), Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders ($36K), Sewers, Hand ($36K), Sewing Machine Operators ($37K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do pressers, textile, garment, and related materials do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials. Leading ones include: Hang, fold, package, and tag finished articles for delivery to customers; Operate steam, hydraulic, or other pressing machines to remove wrinkles from garments and flatwork items, or to shape, form, or patch art…; Straighten, smooth, or shape materials to prepare them for pressing; Remove finished pieces from pressing machines and hang or stack them for cooling, or forward them for additional processing. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for pressers, textile, garment, and related materials? ▼
For SOC 51-6021, O*NET importance scores lead with Operation and Control (3.0), Critical Thinking (2.5), Operations Monitoring (2.5), Time Management (2.5). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Production and Processing, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $35,060 as the national median for Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials. The published 10th-90th range is $27,180 to $43,050. Beside Nuclear Power Reactor Operators ($122,890), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials is -14%. Projected annual openings: about 2,800. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials? ▼
California ($39,300), New Jersey ($37,920), Maine ($38,020) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 51-6021. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics