Occupations · Production
Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers
Construct, decorate, or repair leather and leather-like products, such as luggage, shoes, and saddles. May use hand tools.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 51-6041.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 84% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $36,770 | 380 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $35,270 | 350 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $37,090 | 340 |
| El Paso, TX | $24,960 | 340 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $36,840 | 280 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $46,780 | 240 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI | $42,540 | 230 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | $36,910 | 120 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $33,130 | 110 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $31,900 | 80 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $26,260 | 70 |
| Cleveland, OH | $38,280 | 40 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Prepare inserts, heel pads, and lifts from casts of customers' feet.
- Dress and otherwise finish boots or shoes, as by trimming the edges of new soles and heels to the shoe shape.
- Attach insoles to shoe lasts, affix shoe uppers, and apply heels and outsoles.
- Clean and polish shoes.
- Cement, nail, or sew soles and heels to shoes.
- Check the texture, color, and strength of leather to ensure that it is adequate for a particular purpose.
- Dye, soak, polish, paint, stamp, stitch, stain, buff, or engrave leather or other materials to obtain desired effects, decorations, or shapes.
- Place shoes on lasts to remove soles and heels, using knives or pliers.
- Shape shoe heels with a knife, and sand them on a buffing wheel for smoothness.
- Repair or replace soles, heels, and other parts of footwear, using sewing, buffing and other shoe repair machines, materials, and equipment.
- Cut, insert, position, and secure paddings, cushioning, or linings, using stitches or glue.
- Cut out parts, following patterns or outlines, using knives, shears, scissors, or machine presses.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2022-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2022-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning.
Now listed 1
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| footwear stitching machine operator | 8156.2.3 | close |
| leather goods manufacturing technician | 3119.9 | broader |
| leather goods hand stitcher | 7536.1.3 | broader |
| footwear hand sewer | 7536.2.3 | broader |
| bespoke footwear technician | 7536.2.1 | broader |
| leather goods manual operator | 7536.1 | broader |
| shoemaker | 7536.2 | broader |
| leather goods artisanal worker | 7318.5 | broader |
| leather goods machine operator | 8156.3 | broader |
| shoe repairer | 7536.2.7 | broader |
| hand lasting operator | 7536.2.5 | broader |
| pre-lasting operator | 8156.2.5 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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