Fabric and apparel patternmakers
SOC Code: 51-6092
Fabric and apparel patternmakers carries a 41% AI exposure score (High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $67,670 and -10.2% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 2,800 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 41% AI exposure, Fabric and apparel patternmakers sits 4 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 71% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
34/100
Fabric and apparel patternmakers, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage B- $67,670
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -10.2%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 41% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Fabric and apparel patternmakers in the High band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry on a declining BLS line
Typical entry is HS / some college (333/832) while growth is Declining (111/832). This is the crowded high-risk corner of the map - automation and headcount pressure compound without a degree moat.
Where Fabric and apparel patternmakers sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Fabric and apparel patternmakers sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
41% Around the middle lower than 29% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Fabric and apparel patternmakers vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Fabric and apparel patternmakers is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Fabric and apparel patternmakers's High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 51-6092) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Fabric and apparel patternmakers be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Fabric and apparel patternmakers. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Create a master pattern for each size within a range of garment sizes, using charts, drafting instruments, computers, or grading devices.
- 2. Input specifications into computers to assist with pattern design and pattern cutting.
- 3. Draw details on outlined parts to indicate where parts are to be joined, as well as the positions of pleats, pockets, buttonholes, and other features, using computers or drafting instruments.
- 4. Make adjustments to patterns after fittings.
- 5. Compute dimensions of patterns according to sizes, considering stretching of material.
- 6. Mark samples and finished patterns with information, such as garment size, section, style, identification, and sewing instructions.
- 7. Draw outlines of pattern parts by adapting or copying existing patterns, or by drafting new patterns.
- 8. Test patterns by making and fitting sample garments.
- 9. Position and cut out master or sample patterns, using scissors and knives, or print out copies of patterns, using computers.
- 10. Create a paper pattern from which to mass-produce a design concept.
Key Skills Required
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Time Management
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Mathematics
- Active Learning
- Monitoring
- Quality Control Analysis
Knowledge Areas
- Design
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Production and Processing
- Education and Training
- Engineering and Technology
- Computers and Electronics
- Administration and Management
- Mechanical
- Administrative
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Fabric and apparel patternmakers?
Fabric and apparel patternmakers has an AI exposure score of 41%, indicating a high level of automation risk. Some tasks in this role can be augmented or partially automated by AI, but core responsibilities require human judgment.
What is the job outlook for Fabric and apparel patternmakers?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Fabric and apparel patternmakers is projected to decline by 10.2% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 2,800 workers.
What skills are needed for Fabric and apparel patternmakers?
Key skills for Fabric and apparel patternmakers include Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Fabric and apparel patternmakers earn?
The median annual wage for Fabric and apparel patternmakers is $67,670, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Fabric and apparel patternmakers?
The typical entry-level education for Fabric and apparel patternmakers is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Moderate-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Fabric and apparel patternmakers?
Fabric and apparel patternmakers roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A moderate share of tasks may be augmented by AI tools.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Fabric and apparel patternmakers: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (41% here).
- Computer and information research scientists · AI exposure 41%
- Cooks, fast food · AI exposure 41%
- Cooks, institution and cafeteria · AI exposure 41%
- Cooks, restaurant · AI exposure 41%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-10.2% here).
- Door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers · growth -10.0%
- Cashiers · growth -9.9%
- Bill and account collectors · growth -10.5%
- Helpers--brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters · growth -10.5%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 19 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Fabric and apparel patternmakers' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Fabric and apparel patternmakers side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).