Locksmiths and Safe Repairers

Median salary

$51,320

Average salary

$55,470

Employment

15,040

Projected growth

8.3% decline

Annual openings

1,700

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Locksmiths and Safe Repairers Do

Repair and open locks, make keys, change locks and safe combinations, and install and repair safes.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Long-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: 16.2%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Mechanicalimportance 4.2/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.0/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.8/5
English Languageimportance 3.5/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.5/5
Law and Governmentimportance 3.4/5
Sales and Marketingimportance 3.3/5
Education and Trainingimportance 3.3/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Telephone Conversations5.0/5
E-Mail4.8/5
Contact With Others4.5/5
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.5/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.5/5
Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions4.4/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Millwrights93% skill match
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics92% skill match
Rail Car Repairers91% skill match
Pipelayers91% skill match
Coin, Vending, and Amusement Machine Servicers and Repairers90% skill match
Signal and Track Switch Repairers90% skill match
Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers90% skill match
Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers90% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Repairingimportance 3.5/5
Time Managementimportance 3.3/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.1/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
Installationimportance 3.0/5
Operation and Controlimportance 3.0/5
Troubleshootingimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Inventory tracking software
Mapping software
Marathon Data Systems ServiceCEO
Scheduling software
WH Software InstaCode
WH Software MasterKey
dESCO ESC

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Integrity
Cautiousness
Perseverance
Self-Control
Self-Confidence

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalHigh
InvestigativeLow
SocialLow
EnterprisingLow
ArtisticLow

Specific Interests

A more detailed breakdown of this occupation’s interest profile, per O*NET.

Military Backgrounds That Lead Here

Military occupations commonly matched to this career, per the DMDC Military Crosswalk.

Locksmith (829A)Navy

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where locksmiths and safe repairers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).