Locksmiths and Safe Repairers
Also called: CML (Certified Master Locksmith), Lock Technician (Lock Tech), Locksmith, Safe Technician (Safe Tech)Repair and open locks, make keys, change locks and safe combinations, and install and repair safes.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 14 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 11.7% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 0.7% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 71% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $43,340 | $37,190 to $48,430 | 200 |
| Alaska | $58,390 | $49,500 to $80,810 | 80 |
| Arizona | $44,460 | $38,480 to $56,120 | 260 |
| Arkansas | $35,770 | $29,040 to $46,540 | 100 |
| California | $61,010 | $49,910 to $80,530 | 2,060 |
| Colorado | $47,500 | $43,160 to $55,410 | 380 |
| Connecticut | $69,280 | $56,870 to $78,690 | 120 |
| Delaware | $63,640 | $47,600 to $86,910 | 50 |
| District of Columbia | $76,740 | $72,400 to $85,870 | not published |
| Florida | $49,120 | $39,960 to $62,770 | 1,440 |
| Georgia | $54,050 | $40,210 to $67,030 | 330 |
| Hawaii | $64,490 | $30,720 to $73,790 | 50 |
| Idaho | $43,460 | $36,890 to $47,110 | 150 |
| Illinois | $58,110 | $37,460 to $65,570 | 430 |
| Indiana | $47,640 | $37,190 to $57,070 | 250 |
| Iowa | $46,360 | $37,870 to $57,730 | 120 |
| Kansas | $52,930 | $42,770 to $59,990 | 110 |
| Kentucky | $51,120 | $45,980 to $60,540 | 120 |
| Louisiana | $46,550 | $39,350 to $60,080 | 190 |
| Maine | $52,670 | $45,750 to $61,350 | 140 |
| Maryland | $60,330 | $52,100 to $69,440 | 270 |
| Massachusetts | $59,420 | $54,640 to $82,680 | 300 |
| Michigan | $54,120 | $38,050 to $63,860 | 230 |
| Minnesota | $59,070 | $47,290 to $64,380 | 220 |
| Mississippi | $42,940 | $35,840 to $49,050 | 80 |
| Missouri | $50,140 | $46,050 to $60,880 | 220 |
| Montana | $56,200 | $45,590 to $65,730 | 110 |
| Nebraska | $49,070 | $45,190 to $55,690 | 50 |
| Nevada | $47,450 | $46,680 to $57,890 | 170 |
| New Hampshire | $56,510 | $39,400 to $60,170 | 40 |
| New Jersey | $57,000 | $47,400 to $69,550 | 480 |
| New Mexico | $41,920 | $29,740 to $49,750 | 140 |
| New York | $61,830 | $46,840 to $69,240 | 960 |
| North Carolina | $45,900 | $33,270 to $58,180 | 480 |
| North Dakota | $44,310 | $37,810 to $51,460 | 70 |
| Ohio | $47,760 | $38,270 to $59,700 | 400 |
| Oklahoma | $38,680 | $31,700 to $50,450 | 180 |
| Oregon | $50,450 | $47,420 to $62,400 | 250 |
| Pennsylvania | $52,160 | $45,900 to $71,470 | 530 |
| Puerto Rico | $27,220 | $25,430 to $28,030 | 40 |
| Rhode Island | $57,360 | $52,040 to $73,910 | 80 |
| South Carolina | $46,560 | $37,800 to $68,910 | 140 |
| Tennessee | $50,250 | $39,760 to $64,990 | 340 |
| Texas | $43,860 | $36,320 to $50,070 | 1,420 |
| Utah | $55,520 | $47,740 to $61,370 | 180 |
| Virginia | $53,590 | $46,320 to $65,690 | 430 |
| Washington | $58,010 | $48,320 to $67,890 | 380 |
| West Virginia | $56,690 | $46,100 to $87,080 | 50 |
| Wisconsin | $48,360 | $42,820 to $61,170 | 130 |
Nationally: $51,320. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 14 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Cut new or duplicate keys, using impressions or code key machines. | Not published |
| Not much | Insert new or repaired tumblers into locks to change combinations. | Not published |
| Not much | Move picklocks in cylinders to open door locks without keys. | Not published |
| Not much | Cut new or duplicate keys, using key cutting machines. | Not published |
| Not much | Open safe locks by drilling. | Not published |
| Not much | Set up and maintain master key systems. | Not published |
See all 14 tasks
| Not much | Install door hardware, such as locks and closers. | Not published |
| Not much | Disassemble mechanical or electrical locking devices, and repair or replace worn tumblers, springs, and other parts, using hand tools. | Not published |
| AI alone | Keep records of company locks and keys. | Not published |
| Not much | Repair and adjust safes, vault doors, and vault components, using hand tools, lathes, drill presses, and welding and acetylene cutting apparatus. | Not published |
| Not much | Install safes, vault doors, and deposit boxes according to blueprints, using equipment such as power drills, taps, dies, truck cranes, and dollies. | Not published |
| Not much | Install alarm and electronic access systems. | Not published |
| Not much | Unlock cars and other vehicles. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove interior and exterior finishes on safes and vaults, and spray on new finishes. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 14 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 14 tasks fall under 11 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disassemble equipment | |||
| Repair tools or equipment | |||
| Build structures | |||
| Set up equipment | |||
| Maintain facilities or equipment | |||
| Apply protective solutions or coatings | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Cut materials |
Show all 11 activities
| Assemble equipment or components | |||
| Fabricate devices or components | |||
| Drill holes in earth or materials |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for locksmiths and safe repairers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 754 moves out
- 1 Locker Room, Coatroom, and Dressing Room Attendants Moderate +6.4% 13%
- 2 Librarians and Media Collections Specialists Very high +2.6% 12%
- 3 Business Operations Specialists, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 4 Cost Estimators High -3.1% 4%
- 5 Cashiers High -6.5% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 959 moves in
- 1 Locker Room, Coatroom, and Dressing Room Attendants Moderate +6.4% 13%
- 2 Cashiers High -6.5% 9%
- 3 Librarians and Media Collections Specialists Very high +2.6% 6%
- 4 Business Operations Specialists, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 8% less than high school
- 62% high school
- 15% postsecondary certificate
- 8% some college
- 4% bachelor's
- 4% professional doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 26 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 7% less than high school
- 40% high school
- 33% some college
- 8% associate's
- 11% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 288 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
1 program: Locksmithing and Safe Repair.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
81.8% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 30.9% | 19.1% |
| a certification | not published | |
| an educational certificate | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 2 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (LOCKSMITH; SAFE & VAULT SERVICE MECHANIC). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Locksmiths and Safe Repairers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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