Production Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 51-6061

Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders

Median pay sits 49% below the mid peer in Production Occupations (neighbors include Nuclear Power Reactor Operators, Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers, Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers, First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators ($123K) , Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers ($63K) , Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers ($65K) , First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers ($74K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 51-6061 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Weigh ingredients, such as dye, to be mixed together for use in textile processing
  2. 2. Start and control machines and equipment to wash, bleach, dye, or otherwise process and finish fabric, yarn, thread, or other textile goods
  3. 3. Observe display screens, control panels, equipment, and cloth entering or exiting processes to determine if equipment is operating correctly
  4. 4. Notify supervisors or mechanics of equipment malfunctions
  5. 5. Monitor factors such as temperatures and dye flow rates to ensure that they are within specified ranges
  6. 6. Sew ends of cloth together, by hand or using machines, to form endless lengths of cloth to facilitate processing
  7. 7. Add dyes, water, detergents, or chemicals to tanks to dilute or strengthen solutions, according to established formulas and solution test…
  8. 8. Ravel seams that connect cloth ends when processing is completed
  9. 9. Remove dyed articles from tanks and machines for drying and further processing
  10. 10. Examine and feel products to identify defects and variations from coloring and other processing standards
  11. 11. Adjust equipment controls to maintain specified heat, tension, and speed
  12. 12. Soak specified textile products for designated times

Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders: O*NET ranks Operations Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 51-6061 - lead skill Operations Monitoring at 3.8 ; lead knowledge Production and Processing. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operations Monitoring 3.8
  2. 2. Operation and Control 3.4
  3. 3. Active Listening 3.0
  4. 4. Monitoring 3.0
  5. 5. Time Management 3.0
  6. 6. Reading Comprehension 2.9
  7. 7. Speaking 2.9
  8. 8. Critical Thinking 2.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Production and Processing 3.4
  2. 2. Public Safety and Security 2.6
  3. 3. Education and Training 2.5
  4. 4. Administration and Management 2.5
  5. 5. Customer and Personal Service 2.5
  6. 6. Mathematics 2.4
Pay vs Production Occupations peers
-49%
vs mid peer median $74,450
This role $38,180/yr
$38K
National median
↓ -10%
Growth 2024-2034
700
Annual openings
5,310
Estimated US jobs
Nuclear Power Reactor Operators
Highest-pay peer · $123K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders

1. North Carolina $37,610
2. Pennsylvania $38,420
3. Georgia $41,960
4. Mississippi $43,640
5. South Carolina $39,410
6. Michigan $44,720
7. California $36,670
8. New York $39,030
9. Tennessee $37,410
10. Rhode Island $45,930

Other Production Occupations titles

  1. 1. Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers $65,380
  2. 2. Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers $62,750
  3. 3. Nuclear Power Reactor Operators $122,890
  4. 4. First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $74,450
  5. 5. Power Distributors and Dispatchers $106,730
  6. 6. Chemical Plant and System Operators $78,120

Among Production Occupations peers on this card, Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders sits 49% below the mid peer median ($74,450). Its own median is $38,180.

Employment Projections expect -10% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 700 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent 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: North Carolina at $37,610. 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.

Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders pay-rank #96 in Production Occupations

On the Production Occupations median table (105 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders lands at #96, 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.

Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders pays 49% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 51-6061

North Carolina · top state for Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders

$38K published median

Pennsylvania · #2 state pay

$38K · behind North Carolina

Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

Highest-pay peer vs Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders · $123K

Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers

Lower-pay peer beside Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders · $63K

Compare Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders

Against another occupation

Nuclear Power Reactor Operators card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders land on the Production Occupations median table? ▼
Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders is pay-rank #96 of 105 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers ($38K), Cutters and Trimmers, Hand ($38K), Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers ($38K), Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders ($39K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders. Leading ones include: Weigh ingredients, such as dye, to be mixed together for use in textile processing; Start and control machines and equipment to wash, bleach, dye, or otherwise process and finish fabric, yarn, thread, or other textile goods; Observe display screens, control panels, equipment, and cloth entering or exiting processes to determine if equipment is operating correctly; Notify supervisors or mechanics of equipment malfunctions. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders? ▼
For SOC 51-6061, O*NET importance scores lead with Operations Monitoring (3.8), Operation and Control (3.4), Active Listening (3.0), Monitoring (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Production and Processing, Public Safety and Security, Education and Training. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $38,180 as the national median for Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders. The published 10th-90th range is $30,300 to $48,100. 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 Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders is -10%. Projected annual openings: about 700. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders? ▼
North Carolina ($37,610), Pennsylvania ($38,420), Georgia ($41,960) 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 Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 51-6061. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders. 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