Sewing Machine Operating
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Sewing Machine Operating occupation series (code 3111), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
In the Fabric and Leather Work Family family, Sewing Machine Operating counts 76 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined from the prior period; pay averages $51,384, which pays below the federal-wide average.
- Headcount change
- -3.8%
- Pay change
- +0.2%
- Avg tenure
- 11.6 yrs
- Rank in family
- #2 of 4
FedScope read on Sewing Machine Operating (thin series)
Headcount moved down versus the prior period, though at this small a headcount, year-to-year swings can reflect a handful of hires or departures rather than a broad hiring trend. Pay moved up between the two reporting periods, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. On length of service, this series shows a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Code 31, the Fabric and Leather Work Family family, is where the federal government classifies Sewing Machine Operating alongside 3 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Sewing Machine Operating postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Fabric and Leather Work Family family. The Fabric and Leather Work Family family totals 618 employees, and Sewing Machine Operating accounts for 12.3% of them.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Sewing Machine Operating pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$51,384
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-56.2%
Where Sewing Machine Operating ranks on lean federal pay
Sewing Machine Operating earns more on average than 6% of federal occupation series (34 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Sewing Machine Operating sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Sewing Machine Operating.
Related Occupations in Fabric and Leather Work Family
3 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fabric Working | 505 | $84,450 | 10.9 yrs |
| Misc Fabric and Leather Work | 28 | $80,683 | 18 yrs |
| Upholstering | 9 | $89,428 | 15.9 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this thin headcount
Two peer sets for Sewing Machine Operating outside the Fabric and Leather Work Family family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar thin headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (76 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($51,384 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Sewing Machine Operating pay in context with the pay-rank chart above, then compare it with another occupation.
- Turn an average salary into a grade: the GS pay grade tables show how grades and steps map to pay.
- Browse the Fabric and Leather Work Family family occupations in the table above, or search current Sewing Machine Operating postings on USAJOBS.
OPM FedScope and Federal Workforce Data figures are federal civilian headcounts, average salaries, and length-of-service statistics - not job-quality scores, hiring advice, or a live vacancy listing. A larger or higher-paid agency is not a better employer.