SalaryExplorer

SOC 51-6031 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Sewing Machine Operators — Terre Haute

Terre Haute, IN · 7 metro areas compared

$36,250 /year
$17.43per hour
40jobs in area
−1.1%vs US median

The median wage for Sewing Machine Operators in Terre Haute, IN is $36,250 per year, close to the national median of $36,670 for the same occupation.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $36,67010TH$15,57025TH$28,350MEDIAN$36,25090TH$45,980

How pay has moved

$37,888$28,063202120222025$36,250
$29,700 in 2021 to $36,250 in 2025, +22.1% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to decline

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
-10.8%
Openings per year
13,000
Typical entry-level education
No formal educational credential
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

11.2% of people in this occupation work for themselves.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Terre Haute, IN.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Sewing Machine Operators in Terre Haute, IN is $36,250 per year, close to the national median of $36,670 for the same occupation. Pay ranges from under $15,570 at the tenth percentile to more than $45,980 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $28,350 to $42,510.

The area has 40 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.6 of every thousand jobs. Evansville leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $43,800. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 224th of 278 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Terre Haute, IN · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$15,570−57.5%
25th$28,350−22.7%
Median (50th)$36,250−1.1%
75th$42,510+15.9%
90th$45,980+25.4%
Mean$34,270−6.5%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Indiana

Median annual wage for Sewing Machine Operators, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Evansville$43,800180
2Elkhart$40,130470
3Fort Wayne$37,090220
4Indianapolis$36,910710
5Lafayette$35,12080
6South Bend$32,470200
7Michigan City$31,20040

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Terre Haute run 12.2% below the national average, so the median of $36,250 goes as far as $41,287 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 12.6% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$36,250as reported by BLS

Local price level

87.8US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$41,287US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $36,250 a year, 1.1% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $15,570 to $45,980 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 40 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Evansville, at $43,800.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Sewing Machine Operators in Terre Haute, IN?

The median annual wage is $36,250, or $17.43 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $36,670, so pay in Terre Haute, IN is 1.1% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Terre Haute, IN earns more than $45,980 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $15,570 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Evansville, at $43,800 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 40 jobs in this occupation in Terre Haute, IN. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.

Sewing Machine Operators Salary in Terre Haute, IN (2025): $36,250 Median | Salary Explorer