Explore national salary, projected growth, education requirements, and career opportunities across the United States.
A concise view of this occupation’s national scale, compensation, and projected demand.
National median annual wage for this occupation.
Estimated jobs currently supported nationwide.
Projected employment change through 2034.
Estimated openings created each year.
The typical education, prior experience, and on-the-job training associated with entry into this career.
High school diploma or equivalent
None
Short-term on-the-job training
These are the highest-rated capabilities associated with success in this occupation. Scores are derived from occupational skill analysis and are measured on a 100-point scale.
Based on skills, knowledge, and work activities, these occupations are the closest match to your current career.
Explore the states and metropolitan areas offering the strongest combination of salary, employment, demand, and long-term opportunity.
Discover metro markets where compensation, hiring demand, and long-term momentum align.
Understand the salary, outlook, education, and geographic opportunities shaping this career.
Textile, apparel, and furnishings workers, all other (occupation code 51-6099) represent a relatively small field, with national employment of 15,000 workers. This career typically requires a high school diploma or equivalent, making it accessible to people who want to enter the workforce without a lengthy educational path. The role calls for a diverse mix of abilities, from fine motor skills, physical strength and stamina, and mechanical aptitude to interpersonal and customer service strengths. Detail orientation, creativity and innovation, and leadership and project management abilities also play a role, indicating opportunities both for hands-on production and more coordinated work. Nationally, the median annual salary is $37,010. While projected employment growth is -9.4%, there are still an estimated 2,000 annual openings, suggesting ongoing turnover and replacement needs. For individuals who bring the listed skills and prefer work rooted in textiles, apparel, or furnishings, this can be a viable path, especially when aligned with stronger states or metro areas for this occupation.
Nationally, textile, apparel, and furnishings workers, all other earn a median annual salary of $37,010. Pay can vary notably by state and metro area. Among the highlighted states, Washington shows the highest median salary at $67,890, followed by New York at $54,040 and Colorado at $42,640. Massachusetts and California fall closer to the national figure, at $40,050 and $36,740 respectively. At the metro level, the Washington state salary data is not broken out, but New York workers in this occupation earn a state median of $54,040 compared with a median of $38,830 in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro, illustrating that local patterns can differ from statewide figures. Other metros show median salaries between about $36,540 and $47,170. These differences suggest that location choice can significantly influence earning potential, and that some states and metros may offer notably higher pay than the national median.
This occupation has national employment of 15,000 workers and a projected employment growth rate of -9.4%. Despite the negative growth projection, there are an estimated 2,000 annual openings. This combination suggests that even as total employment is projected to decline, there is still regular hiring activity, likely connected to worker turnover and replacement needs. The -9.4% projected growth rate is consistent across the highlighted states and metro areas, indicating a similar directional trend in multiple regions. For job seekers, this means that while expansion-driven opportunities may be limited, people entering the field may still find openings as existing workers leave or change roles. Individuals considering this career may want to pay close attention to local demand and opportunity scores, since the overall national trend points to shrinking employment levels even as some areas continue to show active hiring and measurable opportunity scores.
Location plays a major role in career patterns for textile, apparel, and furnishings workers, all other. Among states with the highest CareerGPS opportunity scores, California stands out with an opportunity score of 67.38 and employment of 3,590, the largest listed state employment level. New York and Massachusetts also show strong opportunity scores of 65.78 and 65.87, with median salaries of $54,040 and $40,050 respectively. Washington offers the highest listed state median salary at $67,890 and an opportunity score of 56.29, while Colorado shows a median of $42,640 and opportunity score of 56.97. At the metro level, New York-Newark-Jersey City leads with an opportunity score of 77.27 and employment of 610. Other metros such as San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, and Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington have opportunity scores ranging from 56.36 to 68.75. These figures indicate that both salary and opportunity scores can differ significantly between states and metros, even when overall growth rates are the same.
The typical education requirement for textile, apparel, and furnishings workers, all other is a high school diploma or equivalent. This makes the field accessible to individuals who want to start their careers without pursuing a college degree. However, success in this occupation is closely tied to a broad set of skills. Fine motor abilities and physical strength and stamina are important, as is mechanical aptitude. The presence of project management, leadership, and detail-oriented skills in the top skill list suggests that some roles may involve coordinating work, maintaining quality, or overseeing processes. Science skills can support understanding of materials or processes, while interpersonal and customer service skills point to interactions with others in the workplace or with customers. Creativity and innovation round out the profile, indicating space for contributing new ideas or approaches. Together, these skills show that employers value both hands-on capabilities and strong personal and organizational skills in this career path.
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