Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers
Also called: Boot Maker, Cobbler, Shoe Maker, Shoe RepairerConstruct, decorate, or repair leather and leather-like products, such as luggage, shoes, and saddles. May use hand tools.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 3 of its 26 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 6.5% 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, 3.4% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Shoe and leather workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 8.4 hires for every 10 job openings in nondurable goods manufacturing, which employs about 80% 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.8.4 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 | $35,970 | $31,270 to $37,030 | 60 |
| Arizona | $45,510 | $42,290 to $45,510 | 120 |
| California | $38,130 | $37,420 to $44,380 | 510 |
| Colorado | $36,170 | $34,760 to $42,190 | 60 |
| Florida | $35,540 | $29,030 to $43,260 | 400 |
| Georgia | $32,470 | $30,740 to $41,020 | 70 |
| Idaho | $40,000 | $29,570 to $45,410 | 40 |
| Illinois | $43,730 | $36,000 to $58,680 | 200 |
| Indiana | $36,810 | $30,300 to $48,050 | 80 |
| Maine | $38,030 | $36,750 to $45,500 | 160 |
| Massachusetts | $46,550 | $45,150 to $54,890 | 500 |
| Michigan | $35,940 | $31,330 to $43,540 | 150 |
| Minnesota | $42,940 | $35,560 to $45,860 | 200 |
| Mississippi | $26,340 | $26,310 to $27,250 | 40 |
| Missouri | $38,700 | $35,420 to $43,700 | 240 |
| New Hampshire | $40,800 | $40,440 to $46,670 | 30 |
| New Jersey | $46,790 | $36,650 to $59,340 | 230 |
| New York | $42,100 | $38,330 to $45,670 | not published |
| North Carolina | $38,020 | $35,050 to $41,740 | 300 |
| Ohio | $35,950 | $28,830 to $37,900 | 120 |
| Oklahoma | $30,720 | $28,660 to $35,990 | 30 |
| Oregon | not published | not published | 200 |
| Pennsylvania | $34,870 | $29,520 to $39,210 | 120 |
| Tennessee | $52,520 | $40,200 to $52,550 | 330 |
| Texas | $30,620 | $26,860 to $37,300 | 1,860 |
| Utah | $38,700 | $35,650 to $38,700 | 70 |
| Virginia | $37,230 | $33,830 to $46,080 | 70 |
| Washington | $48,310 | $36,780 to $59,880 | 100 |
| Wisconsin | $44,000 | $36,620 to $46,210 | 460 |
Nationally: $37,800. 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 3 of its 26 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Construct, decorate, or repair leather products according to specifications, using sewing machines, needles and thread, leather lacing, glue, clamps, hand tools, or rivets. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect articles for defects, and remove damaged or worn parts, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Dye, soak, polish, paint, stamp, stitch, stain, buff, or engrave leather or other materials to obtain desired effects, decorations, or shapes. | Not published |
| Not much | Align and stitch or glue materials such as fabric, fleece, leather, or wood, to join parts. | Not published |
| Not much | Repair and recondition leather products such as trunks, luggage, shoes, saddles, belts, purses, and baseball gloves. | Not published |
| Not much | Cut out parts, following patterns or outlines, using knives, shears, scissors, or machine presses. | Not published |
See all 26 tasks
| Not much | Drill or punch holes and insert or attach metal rings, handles, and fastening hardware, such as buckles. | Not published |
| Not much | Cut, insert, position, and secure paddings, cushioning, or linings, using stitches or glue. | Not published |
| Not much | Repair or replace soles, heels, and other parts of footwear, using sewing, buffing and other shoe repair machines, materials, and equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Dress and otherwise finish boots or shoes, as by trimming the edges of new soles and heels to the shoe shape. | Not published |
| AI + software | Estimate the costs of requested products or services such as custom footwear or footwear repair, and receive payment from customers. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Re-sew seams, and replace handles and linings of suitcases or handbags. | Not published |
| Not much | Cement, nail, or sew soles and heels to shoes. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean and polish shoes. | Not published |
| Not much | Place shoes on lasts to remove soles and heels, using knives or pliers. | Not published |
| Not much | Check the texture, color, and strength of leather to ensure that it is adequate for a particular purpose. | Not published |
| Not much | Attach accessories or ornamentation to decorate or protect products. | Not published |
| AI + software | Select materials and patterns, and trace patterns onto materials to be cut out. | Not published |
| Not much | Shape shoe heels with a knife, and sand them on a buffing wheel for smoothness. | Not published |
| Not much | Attach insoles to shoe lasts, affix shoe uppers, and apply heels and outsoles. | Not published |
| Not much | Stretch shoes, dampening parts and inserting and twisting parts, using an adjustable stretcher. | Not published |
| Not much | Nail heel and toe cleats onto shoes. | Not published |
| Not much | Make, modify, and repair orthopedic or therapeutic footwear according to doctors' prescriptions, or modify existing footwear for people with foot problems and special needs. | Not published |
| AI + software | Draw patterns, using measurements, designs, plaster casts, or customer specifications, and position or outline patterns on work pieces. | Not published |
| Not much | Read prescriptions or specifications, and take measurements to establish the type of product to be made, using calipers, tape measures, or rules. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare inserts, heel pads, and lifts from casts of customers' feet. | 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. 1 of the 26 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 26 tasks fall under 19 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.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- #38 Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
- #39 Determine values or prices of goods or services
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sew garments or materials | |||
| Assemble products or work aids | |||
| Create decorative objects or parts of objects | |||
| Cut materials | |||
| Position materials or components for assembly | |||
| Position workpieces or materials on equipment | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects |
Show all 19 activities
| Determine values or prices of goods or services | |||
| Design materials or devices | |||
| Inspect characteristics or conditions of materials or products | |||
| Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects | |||
| Position tools or equipment | |||
| Evaluate production inputs or outputs | |||
| Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment | |||
| Drill holes in earth or materials | |||
| Prepare industrial materials for processing or use | |||
| Take physical measurements of patients or clients | |||
| Fabricate medical devices |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Advice or a recommendation43%
- An explanation or answer14%
- A document or report7%
- An analysis or summary4%
- Data or a spreadsheet4%
How they worked with Claude
50% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
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 shoe and leather workers and 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 in from
of 181 moves in
- 1 Correctional Officers and Jailers Moderate -7.4% 24%
- 2 Home Health Aides 9%
- 3 Editors Very high -1.1% 7%
- 4 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 6%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers Very high +0.1% 6%
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
- 44% less than high school
- 56% high school
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 16 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 33% less than high school
- 32% high school
- 18% some college
- 3% associate's
- 11% bachelor's
- 3% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Shoe and leather workers” · 125 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
1 program: Shoe, Boot and Leather Repair.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
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 8 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Shoe and Leather Workers and 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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