Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers Salary
In Urban Honolulu, HI, tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers earn $53,680 at the median, or about $25.81 an hour. The range runs from $38K at the entry level to $66K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 110.96), so that salary is closer to $48,378 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,642/month, about 75.4% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $54K get you in Urban Honolulu?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Urban Honolulu’s Regional Price Parity (110.96). 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.
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What this looks like in Urban Honolulu
Urban Honolulu sits well above the national pay line for tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers, local pay runs about 29% higher than the U.S. median of $42K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,642/month, which is 76.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 11% above the national average (BEA RPP 110.96), so groceries and services cost more too. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Urban Honolulu, HI
Entry-level tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers (10th percentile) start around $38K. Mid-career wages sit at $54K. Top earners bring in $66K or more, a $28K 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
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Frequently asked questions
Can a tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Urban Honolulu?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $54K, rent takes 76.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,642/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/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 Urban Honolulu?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers typically earn — is $38K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,259/month. At HUD’s $2,642/month FMR, rent would take 117% 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 Urban Honolulu?
Local pay is 29% above the national median — $54K here vs. $42K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 11% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.
How does Urban Honolulu compare to the national average for tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers?
Urban Honolulu pays $54K median vs. the U.S. average of $42K — that’s +29%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 110.96), the purchasing-power equivalent is $48K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers make in Urban Honolulu, HI?
The median is $53,680 a year, that works out to about $26 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $37,650, and experienced tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers can clear $65,700. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $54K enough to live in Urban Honolulu?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,473/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,642/month, which eats 76.1% 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 Urban Honolulu?
Urban Honolulu has a Regional Price Parity of 110.96 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers salary is worth about $48,378 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.