SOC 51-6031 · Production Occupations · May 2025

How much do Sewing Machine Operators make in Dubuque, IA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Sewing Machine Operators in Dubuque, IA is $39,120. The 10th percentile is $35,510 and the 90th percentile is $47,100. Employment is 50.

Median annual wage

$39,120

10th percentile
$35,510
25th percentile
$35,760
Median
$39,120
75th percentile
$40,470
90th percentile
$47,100
Mean
$39,820

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A transit bus driver standing beside a bus at a rest stop in Denali
Denali transit bus driver Gary at Teklanika Rest Stop, August 29, 2019. Photograph by Emily Mesner, National Park Service. Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Percentile spread

For Sewing Machine Operators, the published 10th percentile is $35,510 and the 90th percentile is $47,100. The difference is $11,590, which is 29.6% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $35,760 to the 75th at $40,470, covers $4,710.

The mean annual wage is $39,820, which sits above the median of $39,120. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Dubuque, IA median is 6.7% higher than the national median of $36,670 for Sewing Machine Operators. In 2024 national prices the local median is $44,797, which is 22.2% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 9.1% higher than the Iowa median of $35,870.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Dubuque, IA is 87.328, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $39,120 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Sewing Machine Operators at $44,797 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

15 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Sewing Machine Operators. Dubuque, IA ranks 5th of 16 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Cedar Rapids, IA is 46 miles away, with a median of $35,740 and employment of 40. That median is 8.6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $40,174, against $44,797 here.
  • Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL is 77 miles away, with a median of $36,220 and employment of 70. That median is 7.4% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $40,661, against $44,797 here.
  • Madison, WI is 78 miles away, with a median of $40,040. That median is 2.4% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $41,157, against $44,797 here.

Employment share

Sewing Machine Operators accounts for 0.09% of wage-and-salary employment in Dubuque, IA (50 of 58,470). Nationally the occupation is 0.07% of employment (104,880 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.27 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Dubuque, IA · Sewing Machine Operators by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Sewing Machine Operators make in Dubuque, IA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Sewing Machine Operators in Dubuque, IA is $39,120. The 10th percentile is $35,510 and the 90th percentile is $47,100. Employment is 50.

How does that compare with the national median for Sewing Machine Operators?

The local median is 6.7% higher than the national median of $36,670.

What is Sewing Machine Operators pay in Dubuque, IA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Dubuque, IA is 87.328, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $39,120 is $44,797. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Dubuque, IA compare with nearby metros for Sewing Machine Operators?

Cedar Rapids, IA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 46 miles away, at $35,740. Dubuque, IA ranks 5th of 16 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.