Women’s, Girls’, and Infants’ Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing Revenue Benchmarks

The average women’s, girls’, and infants’ cut and sew apparel manufacturing business in the United States generates $3.4M in annual revenue, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Statistics of U.S. Businesses (SUSB 2021). There are 752 women’s, girls’, and infants’ cut and sew apparel manufacturing businesses in the U.S., employing 8,173 workers with an average profit margin of 10.0%.

What Does a Women’s, Girls’, and Infants’ Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing Business Actually Do?

Women’s, Girls’, and Infants’ Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing: Businesses that transform raw materials or components into finished products.

Who buys: Wholesalers, retailers, other manufacturers, and government.

Sector-level description — a more specific write-up is available for high-traffic industries.

Average Revenue

$3.4M

per year

Profit Margin

10.0%

industry average

Revenue / Employee

$312K

per year

Total Businesses

752

in the US

Est. Owner Income

$339K

small business avg

Labor Cost

18.0%

of revenue

Avg Employee Wage

N/A

per year (BLS)

Market Saturation

0.2

firms per 100K people

How Much Do Women’s, Girls’, and Infants’ Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing Charge?

Women’s, Girls’, and Infants’ Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing: Manufacturers sell in bulk to wholesalers, distributors, or direct to businesses. Pricing is negotiated by SKU volume. The specifics vary within the women’s, girls’, and infants’ cut and sew apparel manufacturing category — the ranges below are typical for the sector.

ServiceTypical range
Contract manufacturing markup
15–35% over materials + labor
Own-brand product margin
25–60% gross margin
Custom / low-volume run
40–150% over direct costs

Sector-typical ranges — individual services within this industry may fall higher or lower.

Complete women’s, girls’, and infants’ cut and sew apparel manufacturing business plan

A 12-section data-backed business plan for a women’s, girls’, and infants’ cut and sew apparel manufacturing business — executive summary, market analysis, competitive landscape, revenue model, 3-year financial projections, operations, marketing, staffing, funding request. Pre-populated with real Census, IRS, and BLS data on this industry. Free to view.

View the plan

Cost Structure — Where Every $100 in Revenue Goes

Approximate P&L breakdown for the women’s, girls’, and infants’ cut and sew apparel manufacturing industry. Labor share and net profit are grounded in Census SUSB and IRS SOI data. Other lines are split using sector-typical ratios.

50%
18%
12%
10%
CategoryPer $100 revenue
Raw materials & components
$50
Wages & benefits
$18
Rent & facilities
$6
Marketing & advertising
$4
Other operating costs
$12
Net profit
$10

Directionally accurate for a typical business in the industry. Individual businesses vary widely — a franchise may run a very different cost mix from an independent, and older established businesses often have lower labor share than newer ones.

Average Revenue by Business Size

1-4 employees
$422K
5-9 employees
$1.5M
10-19 employees
$3.5M
20-99 employees
$12.5M
100-499 employees
$52.0M

Industry Dynamics (Census BDS 2023)

New Business Rate

10.44%

openings/year

Closure Rate

16.77%

closings/year

Net Job Growth

-7.09%

annual

Businesses Closed

544

in 2023

Firm Count Trend

19
20
21
22
23
3,990 firms3,332 firms

Should You Start a Women’s, Girls’, and Infants’ Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing Business?

Startup Cost

$50K$250K

Break-Even

5 months

5-Year Survival Rate

50.0%

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a women’s, girls’, and infants’ cut and sew apparel manufacturing business do?
Women’s, Girls’, and Infants’ Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing: Businesses that transform raw materials or components into finished products. Wholesalers, retailers, other manufacturers, and government.
How much do women’s, girls’, and infants’ cut and sew apparel manufacturing charge?
Women’s, Girls’, and Infants’ Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing: Manufacturers sell in bulk to wholesalers, distributors, or direct to businesses. Pricing is negotiated by SKU volume. The specifics vary within the women’s, girls’, and infants’ cut and sew apparel manufacturing category — the ranges below are typical for the sector. See the pricing table above for typical rates by service type.
How much does the average women’s, girls’, and infants’ cut and sew apparel manufacturing make per year?
The average women’s, girls’, and infants’ cut and sew apparel manufacturing business generates $3.4M in annual revenue, based on U.S. Census Bureau data (SUSB 2021). After expenses, the estimated owner profit is $339K per year at a 10.0% profit margin.
How many women’s, girls’, and infants’ cut and sew apparel manufacturing businesses are there in the US?
There are 752 women’s, girls’, and infants’ cut and sew apparel manufacturing businesses operating in the United States, employing a total of 8,173 workers.
How much does it cost to start a women’s, girls’, and infants’ cut and sew apparel manufacturing business?
Startup costs for a women’s, girls’, and infants’ cut and sew apparel manufacturing business typically range from $50K to $250K, with a 5-year survival rate of 50.0%.

Industry Growth & Survival

40%
Est. 5-year survival rate
-7.1%
Net job growth rate
3,332
Total firms (2023)

The women’s, girls’, and infants’ cut and sew apparel manufacturing industry is contracting — losing jobs at a net rate of 7.1% per year. More establishments are closing (16.8%) than opening (10.4%), suggesting market challenges.

Approximately 40% of women’s, girls’, and infants’ cut and sew apparel manufacturing businesses survive their first 5 years. This is below the national average (~50%) — new entrants face elevated risk of failure. Ensure adequate capitalization. In 2023, 544 firms in this industry closed permanently.

Industry Trend (2000–2023)

3K5K7K9K10K20002005201020152020Number of Firms

The women’s, girls’, and infants’ cut and sew apparel manufacturing industry has declined 65% since 2000 (from 9,439 to 3,332 firms).

See full historical statistics →

Compare Women’s, Girls’, and Infants’ Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing revenue with other industries: