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Locksmiths and Safe Repairers

SOC 49-9094 · 2024-2034

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

How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.

Shrinking -4%
California projects this job will shrink over the next ten years. Fewer openings may mean a harder search.

What California expects of this job

Typical pay in California
$62,735per year
Projected openings
2,340
Projected change
-4%
Usually needs
High school diploma or equivalent

Skills this work uses most

O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.

  1. Repairing
  2. Critical Thinking
  3. Time Management
  4. Active Listening
  5. Service Orientation
  6. Quality Control Analysis

Pay by region

RegionTypical pay in CaliforniaProjected openings
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties)$78,786170
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties)$77,156130
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County)$63,695670
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County)$63,035260
Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties)$63,016160
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties)$61,916130
Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County)$61,451350
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County)$61,37160
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties)$61,145230

What the pay actually ranges across

The lowest-paid tenth earn under
$48,349
A quarter earn under
$51,321
Half earn under
$62,735
Three quarters earn under
$82,807
The highest-paid tenth earn over
$95,660

A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.

Similar work

O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.

OccupationTypical pay in CaliforniaProjected openingsProjected change
Mechanical Door Repairers$61,2442,860+18.5%
Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers$45,93310,870+2.2%
Helpers--Electricians$53,4913,430+3.1%
Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers$145,0051,650+5%
Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers$73,5949,890+13.8%
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General$58,612151,500+7.3%