Sewing Machine Operators pay range in Santa Cruz
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $36,850 a year or less, while the top 10% make $64,660 or more. The middle half of sewing machine operators in Santa Cruz earn between $38,100 and $53,600.
- $37K10th
- $38K25th
- $44KMedian
- $54K75th
- $65K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $47,460 | $3,955 | $22.82 |
| Median | $44,350 | $3,696 | $21.32 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $38,100 | $3,175 | $18.32 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $53,600 | $4,467 | $25.77 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Sewing Machine Operators salary after taxes in Santa Cruz
On the average salary of $47,460, a single filer in Santa Cruz takes home about $39,274 a year, or $3,273 a month and $1,511 every two weeks. Taxes take 17% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Is Santa Cruz a good place for sewing machine operators? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Santa Cruz area are 10% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 109.9), so the average $47,460 buys what about $43,186 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.8 times the median wage of all jobs in Santa Cruz ($54,730). A typical home costs $1,157,157, or 24.4 years of this average salary before tax.
Sewing Machine Operators salary in other California cities
Santa Cruz ranks 2nd of 17 California metro areas for this job; San Jose pays the most ($47,860).
- San Jose$47,860
- Santa Cruz$47,460
- San Francisco$46,380
- Napa$44,590
- Stockton$43,670
- Oxnard$42,660
- San Luis Obispo$42,480
- Sacramento$42,310
- Merced$42,110
- Santa Rosa$41,780
Highest-paying cities for sewing machine operators
Appleton, WI pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($51,830).
- Appleton, WI$51,830
- Bend, OR$47,980
- San Jose, CA$47,860
- Santa Cruz, CA$47,460
- San Francisco, CA$46,380
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Sewing Machine Operators salary in Santa Cruz: questions
How much do sewing machine operators make an hour in Santa Cruz?
$22.82 an hour on average, and $21.32 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level sewing machine operators salary in Santa Cruz?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $36,850 a year and the 25th percentile is $38,100, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the sewing machine operators take-home pay in Santa Cruz?
About $39,274 a year ($3,273 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $47,460. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do sewing machine operators earn more in Santa Cruz than elsewhere?
The average here is 26% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($37,562).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 51-6031; area Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA (42100). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.7%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 0.65, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.65).
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