🧵
Textile Mills
Parkdale Mills, Unifi, Milliken & Company
Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
This job keeps knitting and weaving machines running, from clearing stoppages to checking fabric for flaws and adjusting settings when the cloth starts coming out wrong. The work is hands-on and detail-heavy: you are constantly watching moving equipment, catching defects early, and deciding whether a problem is a simple adjustment or a repair. The tradeoff is clear—there is steady factory-floor work and a low entry barrier, but the pay is modest and the occupation is shrinking.
Also known as Textile Machine OperatorWeaving Machine OperatorKnitting Machine OperatorLoom OperatorTextile Operator
Median Salary
$38,260
Mean $39,470
U.S. Workforce
~15K
1.7K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+-11.2%
15.3K to 13.6K
Entry Education
High school diploma or equivalent
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders sits in the Trades category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~15K workers, with a median annual pay of $38,260 and roughly 1.7K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to decline from 15.3 K in 2024 to 13.6K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with High school diploma or equivalent, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Production Helper / Trainee and can progress toward Lead Operator / Shift Supervisor. High-value skills usually include Operations Monitoring for Looms and Weaving Lines, Loom Troubleshooting and Mechanical Adjustments, and Monitoring Production Output and Machine Status, paired with soft skills such as Attention to detail, Clear communication, and Teamwork.
Core Responsibilities
- Watch looms and knitting machines for jams, broken threads, or other stoppages, then figure out what caused the problem.
- Make small adjustments and run a short test to see whether the machine is producing fabric correctly again.
- Inspect cloth as it comes off the machine for holes, uneven patterns, or other defects.
- Stop the machine when the required amount of fabric has been made and mark the run as complete.
Keep exploring: more Trades careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Watch looms and knitting machines for jams, broken threads, or other stoppages, then figure out what caused the problem.
02 Make small adjustments and run a short test to see whether the machine is producing fabric correctly again.
03 Inspect cloth as it comes off the machine for holes, uneven patterns, or other defects.
04 Stop the machine when the required amount of fabric has been made and mark the run as complete.
05 Tell supervisors or maintenance staff when a machine breaks down or needs repair.
06 Check the equipment itself to decide whether it needs cleaning, adjustment, or service before the next production run.
Industries That Hire
👕
Apparel Manufacturing
Hanesbrands, VF Corporation, Fruit of the Loom
🛏️
Home Textiles
Standard Textile, WestPoint Home, Springs Global
🏠
Carpet and Floor Coverings
Mohawk Industries, Shaw Industries, Interface
🏭
Industrial and Technical Textiles
Berry Global, Ahlstrom, Bally Ribbon Mills
Pros and Cons
Advantages
+
You can get started with a high school diploma and short-term training, so the entry barrier is low compared with many other manufacturing jobs.
+
The work is concrete and easy to measure: you can see when fabric is coming out wrong and fix it right away.
+
There are still about 1.7K annual openings, so employers continue to hire even though the field is shrinking.
+
The job builds practical troubleshooting skills that can transfer to other machine-operator or maintenance work.
+
The work is steady, hands-on production work rather than sales or office politics, which appeals to people who like clear daily goals.
Challenges
-
Pay is fairly modest for a full-time manufacturing job, with a mean annual wage of $39,470 and a median of $38,260.
-
Employment is projected to fall 11.2% by 2034, a decline of about 1.7K jobs, so the long-term outlook is weak.
-
The work is repetitive and physical, with lots of standing, watching, lifting, and handling materials on the factory floor.
-
Remote work is basically not an option because the job depends on being beside the machines all day.
-
The career ladder can be narrow, and automation, plant consolidation, and overseas competition can limit advancement unless you move into maintenance or supervision.
Career Progression
Production Helper / Trainee
0-1 years
$29K-$34K
Learns the floor layout, safety rules, and basic machine checks while helping with material handling and cleanup.
Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender
1-4 years
$35K-$42K
Runs production machines, watches for stoppages and defects, and makes routine adjustments to keep fabric within spec.
Senior Textile Machine Operator THIS ROLE
4-8 years
$42K-$49K
Handles more complex setups, solves recurring machine issues, and may train newer operators on the line.
Lead Operator / Shift Supervisor
8+ years
$50K-$62K
Oversees multiple machines or a full shift, coordinates with maintenance, and keeps production moving while meeting quality targets.
Education Paths
High school diploma or equivalent
This is the standard entry point, held by 94.68% of workers in this role.
Less than a high school diploma
A smaller share of workers, 5.32%, enter without finishing high school.
Short-term on-the-job training
Many employers teach machine settings, quality checks, and safety procedures after hiring, so brief hands-on training is usually part of the job.
Manufacturing or textile machine operator certificate
A short credential in manufacturing basics or machine operation can help applicants stand out, especially when paired with factory experience.
Key Skills
Technical
Operations Monitoring for Looms and Weaving Lines 100%
Loom Troubleshooting and Mechanical Adjustments 78%
Monitoring Production Output and Machine Status 59%
Machine Setup, Controls and Test Runs 40%
Preventive Maintenance and Equipment Inspection 30%
Fabric Quality Control and Defect Detection 21%
Soft Skills
Attention to detailClear communicationTeamworkProblem-solvingAlertnessReliability Job Outlook and Trends
+-11.2%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
1.7K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 15.3K to 13.6 K over the next decade, representing -11.2% growth. Around 1.7 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Rare. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.