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Boston Career Explorer

Production

Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Set up, operate, or tend machines that knit, loop, weave, or draw in textiles.

Also called: Knitter, Knitting Machine Operator, Loom Fixer, Machine Operator, Operator, Tufting Machine Operator

Median pay in Greater Boston
$47,960
$23.06/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
90
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+1.9%
20 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
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
$39,430$46,300$47,960$56,050$61,110

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

What you’d do

  • Observe woven cloth to detect weaving defects.
  • Thread yarn, thread, and fabric through guides, needles, and rollers of machines for weaving, knitting, or other processing.
  • Remove defects in cloth by cutting and pulling out filling.
  • Examine looms to determine causes of loom stoppage, such as warp filling, harness breaks, or mechanical defects.
  • Inspect products to ensure that specifications are met and to determine if machines need adjustment.
  • Notify supervisors or repair staff of mechanical malfunctions.

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 exposure16 of 100

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

  • AIOE 8
  • Language-model AIOE 12
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 27

Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is on the lower side, and observed AI use is only some. AI tools may help with spotting fabric flaws from camera images or with tracking machine problems. Threading yarn, pulling out defects by hand, and fixing a jammed loom still need a person at the machine.

Likely to change

  • Spotting weaving defects in cloth
  • Tracking machine problems and stoppages

Still relies on people

  • Threading yarn through guides and needles
  • Hands-on loom repair and adjustments

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.

  • Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

    You already set machine controls and check products for defects. This job uses the same skills and pays $51,220, with 3.9% projected growth in Massachusetts.

    Pay difference
    +$3,260 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +3.9%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

    Finding the cause of loom stoppages carries over to diagnosing machine problems. This job pays $59,670, with 5.2% projected growth.

    Pay difference
    +$11,710 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +5.2%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines

    Your mechanical troubleshooting and testing skills carry over to repairing heavy equipment. It takes longer training but pays $76,770.

    Pay difference
    +$28,810 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +4.9%
    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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