Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers Salary
In Asheville, NC, tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers earn $39,150 at the median, or about $18.82 an hour. The range runs from $33K at the entry level to $44K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 96.51), that's roughly $40,566 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,567/month, about 57.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $39K get you in Asheville?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Asheville’s Regional Price Parity (96.51). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Asheville
Tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers pay in Asheville tracks closely to the national median, $39K locally vs. $42K nationwide, a 6% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,567/month, which is 59.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 96.51) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers in metros near Asheville, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $46K | $47K |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | $38K | $39K |
| Winston-Salem | $35K | $38K |
| Charleston-North Charleston | $46K | $46K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Asheville, NC
Entry-level tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers (10th percentile) start around $33K. Mid-career wages sit at $39K. Top earners bring in $44K or more, a $11K spread from bottom to top.
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $60K | +45% | 1,160 |
| District of Columbia | $58K | +39% | 80 |
| Washington | $54K | +30% | 100 |
| Hawaii | $54K | +29% | N/A |
| Colorado | $51K | +23% | 160 |
| Massachusetts | $50K | +21% | N/A |
| Nevada | $49K | +18% | 100 |
| Pennsylvania | $48K | +16% | 610 |
| Missouri | $48K | +16% | 200 |
| Maryland | $48K | +16% | N/A |
| Utah | $48K | +15% | 290 |
| Oregon | $47K | +14% | 100 |
| Minnesota | $46K | +11% | 290 |
| Virginia | $46K | +11% | 300 |
| New Hampshire | $46K | +10% | 60 |
| Delaware | $44K | +7% | N/A |
| California | $44K | +7% | 2,180 |
| New Mexico | $43K | +4% | N/A |
| Wisconsin | $43K | +4% | 210 |
| Georgia | $43K | +4% | 360 |
| New Jersey | $43K | +4% | 350 |
| Illinois | $42K | +2% | 320 |
| North Carolina | $41K | -1% | 740 |
| Arizona | $40K | -3% | N/A |
| Connecticut | $40K | -4% | 210 |
| Florida | $40K | -4% | 920 |
| Tennessee | $39K | -7% | 170 |
| Nebraska | $38K | -8% | 40 |
| Michigan | $38K | -10% | 280 |
| Ohio | $37K | -11% | 510 |
| Indiana | $36K | -12% | 360 |
| Texas | $36K | -13% | 1,540 |
| Montana | $35K | -17% | 50 |
| Louisiana | $34K | -19% | 250 |
| South Carolina | $33K | -21% | 340 |
| Kentucky | $33K | -22% | 230 |
| Iowa | $32K | -24% | 130 |
| Alabama | $31K | -25% | 90 |
| Arkansas | $31K | -26% | 80 |
| Kansas | $27K | -35% | 40 |
| Oklahoma | $26K | -37% | N/A |
| Mississippi | $25K | -39% | 160 |
Showing 1–10 of 42 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Asheville numbers change.
Related careers in Production & Manufacturing
Frequently asked questions
Can a tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Asheville?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $39K, rent takes 59.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,567/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers in Asheville?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers typically earn — is $33K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,964/month. At HUD’s $1,567/month FMR, rent would take 80% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewer a high-paying job in Asheville?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $39K locally vs. $42K nationally, a 6% difference.
How does Asheville compare to the national average for tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers?
Asheville pays $39K median vs. the U.S. average of $42K — that’s -6%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 96.51), the purchasing-power equivalent is $41K — below the national median.
How much do tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers make in Asheville, NC?
The median is $39,150 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $32,740, and experienced tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers can clear $44,080. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $39K enough to live in Asheville?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,644/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,567/month, which eats 59.3% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers salary go in Asheville?
Asheville has a Regional Price Parity of 96.51 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers salary is worth about $40,566 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.