Best degree programs for Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers, ranked by enrollment
1 college programs and 19 schools train Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $62,750 median wage, 2,950 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
1 college programs at 19 schools train fabric and apparel patternmakers, graduating 244 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Apparel and Textile Manufacture. The job pays a median of $62,750 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About fabric and apparel patternmakers
Draw and construct sets of precision master fabric patterns or layouts. May also mark and cut fabrics and apparel.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
1 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apparel and Textile Manufacturemain feeder CIP 19.0902 | 244 | 100.0% | 19 | $36,635 | $24,750 |
Top 19 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fashion Institute of Technology New York, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 86 | Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 81% | — | 60% |
| 2 | SUNY Buffalo State University Buffalo, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 30 | Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 33% | — | 73% |
| 3 | Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 34% | $40,294 | — |
| 4 | William Rainey Harper College Palatine, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 48% | — | — |
| 5 | Minneapolis Community and Technical College Minneapolis, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 20% | — | — |
| 6 | Orange Coast College Costa Mesa, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 48% | — | — |
| 7 | Academia Serrant Inc Ponce, PR Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 88% | $7,589 | — |
| 8 | Dallas College Dallas, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 32% | — | — |
| 9 | Honolulu Community College Honolulu, HI Public · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 25% | — | — |
| 10 | Liceo de Arte - Dise - O y Comercio Caguas, PR Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 64% | — | — |
| 11 | University of Hawaii Maui College Kahului, HI Public · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 28% | — | — |
| 12 | Sacramento City College Sacramento, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 33% | — | — |
| 13 | Wayne County Community College District Detroit, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 22% | — | — |
| 14 | Drexel University Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 78% | $36,004 | 79% |
| 15 | Los Angeles Trade Technical College Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 35% | — | — |
| 16 | Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 36% | — | — |
| 17 | Long Beach City College Long Beach, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 30% | — | — |
| 18 | Canada College Redwood City, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 47% | — | — |
| 19 | San Joaquin Delta College Stockton, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 35% | — | — |
What fabric and apparel patternmakers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Yorklimited | $101,230 | 670 | 3.62× | 2 | 116 |
| California | $89,010 | 930 | 2.69× | 8 | 47 |
| Texaslimited | $34,930 | 70 | 0.26× | 1 | 9 |
| Pennsylvanialimited | $65,900 | 40 | 0.38× | 1 | 4 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Create a master pattern for each size within a range of garment sizes, using charts, drafting instruments, computers, or grading devices.
- Input specifications into computers to assist with pattern design and pattern cutting.
- 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.
- Make adjustments to patterns after fittings.
- Compute dimensions of patterns according to sizes, considering stretching of material.
- Mark samples and finished patterns with information, such as garment size, section, style, identification, and sewing instructions.
- Draw outlines of pattern parts by adapting or copying existing patterns, or by drafting new patterns.
- Test patterns by making and fitting sample garments.
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Active Listening3.4
- Active Learning3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Speaking3.1
- Mathematics3.1
- Learning Strategies3.0
Knowledge areas
- Design4.2
- Mathematics4.0
- English Language3.9
- Production and Processing3.9
- Education and Training3.4
- Engineering and Technology2.9
Abilities
- Visualization4.0
- Near Vision4.0
- Information Ordering3.8
- Originality3.8
- Mathematical Reasoning3.6
- Deductive Reasoning3.6
Core activities
- Getting Information4.4
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.2
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings4.2
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.0
- Thinking Creatively3.9
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems3.9
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Fabric
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 1 majors mapped to Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers1 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 19.0902Apparel and Textile Manufacture
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Fabric?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Apparel and Textile Manufacture, which awarded 244 degrees in 2024-25, 100.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Fabric?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 programs to this occupation. The largest are Apparel and Textiles. Together they graduate about 244 people a year.
How much do fabric and apparel patternmakers earn?+
The median is $62,750 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $33,790 at the 10th percentile to $123,540 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for fabric and apparel patternmakers growing?+
BLS projects a -10.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
19 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 1 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do fabric and apparel patternmakers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Designer, Pattern Maker, Pattern Designer, Production Pattern Maker among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 51-6092.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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