Stitcher vs seamstress

The differences between stitchers and seamstresses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a stitcher, becoming a seamstress takes usually requires 3-6 months. Additionally, a stitcher has an average salary of $35,863, which is higher than the $33,724 average annual salary of a seamstress.

The top three skills for a stitcher include stitching, costume shop and industrial sewing machines. The most important skills for a seamstress are customer service, punctuality, and industrial sewing machines.

Stitcher vs seamstress overview

	Stitcher	Seamstress
Yearly salary	$35,863	$33,724
Hourly rate	$17.24	$16.21
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	191	1,259
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	54	50
Years of experience	4	6

Stitcher vs seamstress salary

Stitchers and seamstresses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Stitcher	Seamstress
Average salary	$35,863	$33,724
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $57,000	Between $22,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	-	Somerville, MA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	CoxHealth
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between stitcher and seamstress education

There are a few differences between a stitcher and a seamstress in terms of educational background:

	Stitcher	Seamstress
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Theatre	Graphic Design
Most common college	-	-

Stitcher vs seamstress demographics

Here are the differences between stitchers' and seamstresses' demographics:

	Stitcher	Seamstress
Average age	54	50
Gender ratio	Male, 23.7% Female, 76.3%	Male, 5.8% Female, 94.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 3.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 8.6% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 10.0% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	12%	5%

Differences between stitcher and seamstress duties and responsibilities

Stitcher example responsibilities.

Manage costume crew and coordinate costumes during productions.
Perform hand collating of short-run projects, checking correct sequence of order, stapling, power stitching, or binding.
Stamp cloths and inspect parachutes.
Prepare furs and design natural fur coats.
Inspect finish product and do finishing touches.
Used serger, single, and double stitch industrial machines.

Seamstress example responsibilities.

Place spools of thread on spindles, insert bobbins, and thread ends through machine guides and components.
Sew cushions and upholstery for furniture
Deconstruct and reinforce clothing, repair t-shirts, hats, etc.
Place spools of thread on spindles, ensure machine is threaded properly.
Operate a Juki pattern tact machine and an auto matrix cutting table.
Use vinyl plotter to create designs and press on to t-shirts etc.

Stitcher vs seamstress skills

Common stitcher skills

Stitching, 36%
Costume Shop, 18%
Industrial Sewing Machines, 14%
Costumes, 13%
RAN, 4%
Double Needle, 3%

Common seamstress skills

Customer Service, 67%
Punctuality, 18%
Industrial Sewing Machines, 3%
Stitching, 2%
Embroidery, 1%
Inventory Control, 1%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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