A clear, citable look at the U.S. workforce behind sewing and textile furnishings, using the latest published federal employment and wage data.
Last updated October 20, 2026. Data shown are from May 2024, the latest published BLS estimates available for these measures.
Quilting is not published as a stand-alone federal industry category. This reference therefore uses the closest official workforce measures: sewing machine operators across the United States, plus the textile furnishings and related textile-manufacturing groups that support home textiles.
That distinction matters. These figures describe the broader production landscape around quilts and textile furnishings. They do not claim to count every independent quilter, custom quilt shop, or handmade quilt sold in America.
109,590
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted this occupation across all U.S. industries in May 2024. It is a broader workforce measure, not a count of quilters alone.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 ↗$36,680
This is the national mean annual wage reported for the occupation in May 2024. The source reports a $17.31 median hourly wage alongside it.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 ↗5,870
This industry grouping is the closest published BLS category for the industrial side of home textiles. It does not isolate quilts or handmade work as a separate category.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, May 2024 ↗4,260
These roles are part of the material-handling and production side of U.S. textile furnishings manufacturing in May 2024.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, May 2024 ↗2,970
The BLS estimate shows the textile production roles supporting furnishings mills, separate from sewing-machine operation.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, May 2024 ↗18,180
This adjacent manufacturing category gives useful scale for textile production, but should not be treated as a count of quilt makers or custom quilt businesses.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, May 2024 ↗Handmade quilts live at the personal end of a much larger textile story. The national occupation number is broad. The textile-furnishings figures are narrower. Neither is a substitute for the lived value of a custom piece, but together they give writers, researchers, and curious customers a grounded way to describe the production world around it.
For the most precise use, quote the specific statistic and keep its category, date, and source attached. That is the difference between a useful reference and a number that loses its meaning once it gets passed around.
Explore Real Western Life quilts →Every statistic on this page comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. The national occupation figures come from its May 2024 employment and wage release. Industry figures come from the agency’s May 2024 national industry-specific employment tables. BLS notes that these estimates are based on employer survey data and do not include self-employed people.
Cite this page: Real Western Life, “U.S. Quilt & Textile Furnishings Statistics,” updated October 20, 2026, https://shop.realwesternlife.com/quilt-textile-statistics.