Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials
Also called: Ironing Worker, Pants Presser, Presser, Shirt PresserPress or shape articles by hand or machine.
On a phone, press and hold a picture to save it to Photos.
opens your phone's share sheet, where you can save both to Photos
What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 28 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 15.7% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.6% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.7 hires for every 10 job openings in other services, which employs about 92% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.7 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $26,860 | $25,400 to $28,660 | 390 |
| Arizona | $36,870 | $35,510 to $37,520 | 360 |
| Arkansas | $29,880 | $28,830 to $31,680 | 470 |
| California | $39,300 | $37,720 to $43,160 | 3,850 |
| Colorado | $38,300 | $36,590 to $39,440 | 320 |
| Connecticut | $36,030 | $35,440 to $39,330 | 740 |
| Florida | $31,760 | $29,880 to $34,840 | 2,130 |
| Georgia | $33,010 | $28,700 to $37,160 | 1,010 |
| Hawaii | $35,980 | $31,780 to $36,990 | 90 |
| Idaho | $35,990 | $35,020 to $42,950 | 110 |
| Illinois | $40,230 | $35,810 to $46,740 | not published |
| Indiana | $28,840 | $27,330 to $31,240 | 410 |
| Iowa | $32,990 | $25,860 to $33,580 | 100 |
| Kansas | $29,110 | $28,210 to $30,070 | 150 |
| Kentucky | $31,200 | $27,760 to $34,720 | 530 |
| Louisiana | $27,170 | $25,650 to $28,840 | 190 |
| Maine | $38,020 | $35,600 to $38,460 | 60 |
| Maryland | $34,390 | $32,750 to $38,110 | 480 |
| Massachusetts | $36,410 | $35,320 to $37,650 | 470 |
| Michigan | $36,290 | $34,700 to $38,070 | 300 |
| Mississippi | $27,180 | $24,410 to $29,860 | 400 |
| Missouri | $30,520 | $29,590 to $37,020 | 330 |
| Montana | $35,270 | $32,110 to $35,660 | 30 |
| Nebraska | $33,300 | $29,320 to $35,840 | 170 |
| Nevada | $35,560 | $32,210 to $36,720 | 820 |
| New Hampshire | $38,540 | $35,410 to $39,410 | 100 |
| New Jersey | $37,920 | $35,460 to $38,200 | 870 |
| New Mexico | $28,730 | $26,570 to $36,400 | 110 |
| New York | $36,510 | $35,050 to $40,760 | 1,730 |
| North Carolina | $29,300 | $27,460 to $34,620 | 550 |
| Ohio | $30,820 | $29,870 to $34,730 | 810 |
| Oklahoma | $28,340 | $26,710 to $29,400 | 330 |
| Oregon | $36,860 | $36,360 to $42,520 | 230 |
| Pennsylvania | $29,880 | $28,780 to $34,790 | 700 |
| Puerto Rico | $21,980 | $21,840 to $22,780 | 220 |
| Rhode Island | $36,390 | $34,530 to $36,950 | 170 |
| South Carolina | $29,160 | $22,620 to $33,280 | 220 |
| Tennessee | $29,460 | $27,810 to $39,800 | 410 |
| Texas | $29,680 | $26,800 to $35,550 | 3,490 |
| Utah | $35,320 | $31,200 to $35,580 | 320 |
| Virginia | $31,220 | $28,500 to $34,210 | 720 |
| Washington | $37,620 | $36,320 to $45,500 | 460 |
| West Virginia | $28,400 | $27,870 to $30,600 | 70 |
| Wisconsin | $35,500 | $34,230 to $39,470 | 350 |
| Wyoming | $30,460 | $30,150 to $40,740 | 50 |
Nationally: $35,060. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 28 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Operate steam, hydraulic, or other pressing machines to remove wrinkles from garments and flatwork items, or to shape, form, or patch articles. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove finished pieces from pressing machines and hang or stack them for cooling, or forward them for additional processing. | Not published |
| Not much | Straighten, smooth, or shape materials to prepare them for pressing. | Not published |
| Not much | Lower irons, rams, or pressing heads of machines into position over material to be pressed. | Not published |
| Not much | Push and pull irons over surfaces of articles to smooth or shape them. | Not published |
| Not much | Finish pleated garments, determining sizes of pleats from evidence of old pleats or from work orders, using machine presses or hand irons. | Not published |
See all 28 tasks
| Not much | Hang, fold, package, and tag finished articles for delivery to customers. | Not published |
| AI + software | Select appropriate pressing machines, based on garment properties such as heat tolerance. | Not published |
| Not much | Slide material back and forth over heated, metal, ball-shaped forms to smooth and press portions of garments that cannot be satisfactorily pressed with flat pressers or hand irons. | Not published |
| Not much | Finish pants, jackets, shirts, skirts and other dry-cleaned and laundered articles, using hand irons. | Not published |
| Not much | Position materials such as cloth garments, felt, or straw on tables, dies, or feeding mechanisms of pressing machines, or on ironing boards or work tables. | Not published |
| Not much | Moisten materials to soften and smooth them. | Not published |
| Not much | Finish fancy garments such as evening gowns and costumes, using hand irons to produce high quality finishes. | Not published |
| Not much | Identify and treat spots on garments. | Not published |
| Not much | Shrink, stretch, or block articles by hand to conform to original measurements, using forms, blocks, and steam. | Not published |
| Not much | Spray water over fabric to soften fibers when not using steam irons. | Not published |
| Not much | Press ties on small pressing machines. | Not published |
| Not much | Block or shape knitted garments after cleaning. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean and maintain pressing machines, using cleaning solutions and lubricants. | Not published |
| Not much | Activate and adjust machine controls to regulate temperature and pressure of rollers, ironing shoes, or plates, according to specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Finish velvet garments by steaming them on bucks of hot-head presses or steam tables, and brushing pile (nap) with handbrushes. | Not published |
| Not much | Insert heated metal forms into ties and touch up rough places with hand irons. | Not published |
| Not much | Use covering cloths to prevent equipment from damaging delicate fabrics. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine and measure finished articles to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as tape measures and micrometers. | Not published |
| Not much | Brush materials made of suede, leather, or felt to remove spots or to raise and smooth naps. | Not published |
| Not much | Select, install, and adjust machine components, including pressing forms, rollers, and guides, using hoists and hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure fabric to specifications, cut uneven edges with shears, fold material, and press it with an iron to form a heading. | Not published |
| Not much | Sew ends of new material to leaders or to ends of material in pressing machines, using sewing machines. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 28 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 28 tasks fall under 17 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #38 Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment | |||
| Position workpieces or materials on equipment | |||
| Prepare industrial materials for processing or use | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Set up equipment | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects | |||
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance |
Show all 17 activities
| Inspect characteristics or conditions of materials or products | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Mark materials or objects for identification | |||
| Cut materials | |||
| Package objects | |||
| Sew garments or materials | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing | |||
| Remove workpieces from production equipment |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for pressers, textile, garment, and related materials specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved in from
of 231 moves in
- 1 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 14%
- 2 Cashiers High -6.5% 12%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 8%
- 4 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers High +5.4% 6%
- 5 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 6%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 59% less than high school
- 26% high school
- 1% associate's
- 14% research doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 21 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 32% less than high school
- 47% high school
- 16% some college
- 4% associate's
- 1% bachelor's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 254 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/51-6021.00