Also called: Hat Maker
Designs and handcrafts hats, from fancy derby hats to custom felt cowboy hats.
They steam felt or straw over wooden blocks to shape hats, then add brims, bands, and trims by hand. Kentucky Derby season and weddings are busy times. Many sell online or from small studios.
Estimate; small business income varies.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Apprenticeship, about 1 year after high school. Learned through workshops, apprenticeships, or self-teaching.
Ways in: Apprenticeship, Self-taught. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Fashion Design.
Growing slowly. Tiny niche craft.
Low risk for 10 years. Hand-blocking, steaming and trimming hats is craft work; AI may help design, but the making stays human.
Classes: Sewing or fashion CTE, Art 3-D Design, Business.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-6052.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.