Dresser vs costume specialist

The differences between dressers and costume specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a dresser and a costume specialist. Additionally, a costume specialist has an average salary of $48,798, which is higher than the $28,180 average annual salary of a dresser.

The top three skills for a dresser include fashion shows, show run and costumes. The most important skills for a costume specialist are costumes, outbound calls, and .

Dresser vs costume specialist overview

	Dresser	Costume Specialist
Yearly salary	$28,180	$48,798
Hourly rate	$13.55	$23.46
Growth rate	11%	-
Number of jobs	33,774	18,721
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	34	34
Years of experience	12	12

Dresser vs costume specialist salary

Dressers and costume specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Dresser	Costume Specialist
Average salary	$28,180	$48,798
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $38,000	Between $30,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between dresser and costume specialist education

There are a few differences between a dresser and a costume specialist in terms of educational background:

	Dresser	Costume Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Graphic Design	Theatre
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Dresser vs costume specialist demographics

Here are the differences between dressers' and costume specialists' demographics:

	Dresser	Costume Specialist
Average age	34	34
Gender ratio	Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1%	Male, 40.4% Female, 59.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 5.6% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between dresser and costume specialist duties and responsibilities

Dresser example responsibilities.

Rig hand, clean tools.
See that all wigs and hats are properly store and service between performances.
Perform various customer service duties under strict deadlines, including assisting performers with costumes, quick changes, and backstage ;.
Specialize in equipment such as scissors, clippers, curlers, straightening irons, and dryers to provide clients fashionable hairstyles.
Operate the PosiTouch POS check out system.

Costume specialist example responsibilities.

Manage FDA regulate products requirements for ISO2000 quality assurance.
Assist customers in finding costumes or decorations, coordinate inventory with the warehouse, clean and stock the storefront.
Assist the costume designer in choosing costumes for productions and relate activities - fittings, moving costumes to and from storage.
Determine program eligibility for Medicaid, food stamp and cash benefits in accordance with current regulations using the computer-based eligibility system.
Maintain department SharePoint site including site administration.

Dresser vs costume specialist skills

Common dresser skills

Fashion Shows, 45%
Show RUN, 26%
Costumes, 24%
Customers Orders, 3%
Gift Bags, 3%

Common costume specialist skills

Costumes, 85%
Outbound Calls, 15%

Updated January 8, 2025

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