Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers Salary
In Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers earn $36,260 at the median, or about $17.44 an hour. The range runs from $32K at the entry level to $45K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $36,764 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,573/month, about 60.3% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $36K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Pay for tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands runs about 13% below the U.S. median of $42K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,573/month, which is 60.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewerss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $33K | $34K |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $38K | $37K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $50K | $52K |
| New Orleans-Metairie | $34K | $36K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers (10th percentile) start around $32K. Mid-career wages sit at $36K. Top earners bring in $45K or more, a $14K 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 with published data
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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
Related careers in Production & Manufacturing
Frequently asked questions
Can a tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $36K, rent takes 60.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers typically earn — is $32K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,891/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 83% 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Local pay runs 13% below the national median — $36K here vs. $42K nationally.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $36K median vs. the U.S. average of $42K — that’s -13%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $37K — below the national median.
How much do tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $36,260 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,510, and experienced tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers can clear $45,420. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $36K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,598/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 60.5% 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (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 $36,764 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.