Sewing Machine Operators pay range in Hickory
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $30,280 a year or less, while the top 10% make $60,150 or more. The middle half of sewing machine operators in Hickory earn between $36,600 and $49,960.
- $30K10th
- $37K25th
- $47KMedian
- $50K75th
- $60K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $44,600 | $3,717 | $21.44 |
| Median | $46,540 | $3,878 | $22.38 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $36,600 | $3,050 | $17.60 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $49,960 | $4,163 | $24.02 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Sewing Machine Operators salary after taxes in Hickory
On the average salary of $44,600, a single filer in Hickory takes home about $36,745 a year, or $3,062 a month and $1,413 every two weeks. Taxes take 18% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).
Is Hickory a good place for sewing machine operators? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Hickory area are 12% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 88.5), so the average $44,600 buys what about $50,403 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.0 times the median wage of all jobs in Hickory ($45,220). A typical home costs $271,739, or 6.1 years of this average salary before tax.
Sewing Machine Operators salary in other North Carolina cities
Hickory ranks 1st of 13 North Carolina metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.
- Hickory$44,600
- Asheville$36,250
- Charlotte$35,780
- Durham$35,420
- Greensboro$34,670
- Winston-Salem$33,750
- Greenville$33,550
- Wilmington$32,910
- Raleigh$32,500
- Fayetteville$32,100
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 Hickory: questions
How much do sewing machine operators make an hour in Hickory?
$21.44 an hour on average, and $22.38 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level sewing machine operators salary in Hickory?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $30,280 a year and the 25th percentile is $36,600, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the sewing machine operators take-home pay in Hickory?
About $36,745 a year ($3,062 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $44,600.
Do sewing machine operators earn more in Hickory than elsewhere?
The average here is 19% 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 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC (25860). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.4%.
- 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 (2026 rules).
- Job concentration: location quotient 17.88, this job is 17.9 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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