Locksmiths and Safe Repairers

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

Most important skills

Repairing
Critical Thinking
Time Management
Active Listening
Speaking
Service Orientation
Quality Control Analysis
Reading Comprehension

Key knowledge

Mechanical
Customer and Personal Service
Public Safety and Security
English Language
Administration and Management
Law and Government
Sales and Marketing
Education and Training

What the work involves

Cut new or duplicate keys, using key cutting machines.
Keep records of company locks and keys.
Insert new or repaired tumblers into locks to change combinations.
Move picklocks in cylinders to open door locks without keys.
Disassemble mechanical or electrical locking devices, and repair or replace worn tumblers, springs, and other parts, using hand tools.
Repair and adjust safes, vault doors, and vault components, using hand tools, lathes, drill presses, and welding and acetylene cutting apparatus.
Install safes, vault doors, and deposit boxes according to blueprints, using equipment such as power drills, taps, dies, truck cranes, and dollies.
Open safe locks by drilling.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (61.5% of respondents)
Related experience: None (30.8%)
On-the-job training: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (23.1%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 2: Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Locksmiths and Safe Repairers is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	High	Higher on contact with others than 62% of occupations compared	58% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	Very high	Higher on dealing with the public than 84% of occupations compared	54% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Teamwork	Very low	Lower on teamwork than 88% of occupations compared	32% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Freedom to make decisions	Moderate	Lower on freedom to make decisions than 59% of occupations compared	38% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressure	Moderate	Higher on time pressure than 55% of occupations compared	38% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Conflict situations	Low	Lower on conflict situations than 69% of occupations compared	42% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Moderate	Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 56% of occupations compared	46% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Consequence of error	Moderate	Lower on consequence of error than 53% of occupations compared	32% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: moderate
Conflict situations: low
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: moderate
Consequence of error: moderate

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions