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Boston Career Explorer

Production

Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials

Press or shape articles by hand or machine.

Also called: Boarder, Dry Cleaner Presser, Garment Presser, Ironing Machine Operator, Ironing Worker, Pants Presser

Median pay in Greater Boston
$36,410
$17.50/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
370
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−15.6%
60 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
No formal educational credential
plus Short-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$34,000$35,970$36,410$37,650$43,750

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Hang, fold, package, and tag finished articles for delivery to customers.
  • Operate steam, hydraulic, or other pressing machines to remove wrinkles from garments and flatwork items, or to shape, form, or patch articles.
  • Straighten, smooth, or shape materials to prepare them for pressing.
  • Remove finished pieces from pressing machines and hang or stack them for cooling, or forward them for additional processing.
  • Finish pleated garments, determining sizes of pleats from evidence of old pleats or from work orders, using machine presses or hand irons.
  • Lower irons, rams, or pressing heads of machines into position over material to be pressed.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure2 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 0
  • Language-model AIOE 0
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 6

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

Pressers of textiles and garments have very low AI exposure, and there is little or no observed AI use in this job today. The work is hands-on: running pressing machines, shaping fabric, and hanging, folding, and tagging items. AI tools do not do these physical tasks. Massachusetts projects a 15.6% drop in jobs from 2024 to 2034, which is a separate matter from AI exposure.

Likely to change

  • Tracking orders and tagging for delivery
  • Machine controls that become more automated

Still relies on people

  • Smoothing and shaping fabric by hand
  • Judging pleats and finish on garments

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers

    Careful hands-on work with materials and following job specs carry over. This job pays a Boston median of $62,870 and needs no formal credential.

    Pay difference
    +$26,460 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +2.9%
    To get started
    No formal educational credential

  • Roofers

    Physical stamina and careful hands-on work carry over. Roofing pays a Boston median of $66,350 and is projected to grow 7.7%.

    Pay difference
    +$29,940 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +7.7%
    To get started
    No formal educational credential

  • Brickmasons and Blockmasons

    Precise, careful hands-on work carries over. Brickmasons earn a Boston median of $96,960 and learn through an apprenticeship.

    Pay difference
    +$60,550 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +5.3%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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