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

$35,950median annual wage, May 2024

7,640people employed, United States

▼ 3.8%projected change, 2024→2034

900openings a year, incl. replacements

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

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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
El Paso, TX	$24,960	340
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	$37,090	340
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$36,840	280

BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 5 areas with the most people in this occupation

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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.

Active Listening3.0

Speaking3.0

Critical Thinking3.0

Monitoring3.0

Reading Comprehension2.9

Active Learning2.4

Writing2.1

Mathematics1.9

Learning Strategies1.6

Science1.0

O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale

Software and tools

A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.

Microsoft Excel●Bookkeeping softwareFinancial accounting softwareInventory tracking softwareSale processing software

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.

2 / 5Some preparation — a school diploma and a few months of on-the-job training.

O*NET 30.3 Job Zones

Working conditions that stand out

Exposed to Hazardous Equipment+2.2 above average

E-Mail−1.7 below average

Exposed to Contaminants+1.7 above average

Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls+1.7 above average

Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team−1.7 below average

Written Letters and Memos−1.5 below average

Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities−1.3 below average

O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2022-08

How people actually get in

Share of workers by the education they hold.

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)56%

Less than a High School Diploma44%

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.

Realistic6.9

Conventional3.2

Artistic3.1

O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)

What you take with you

Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.

Service Orientation2.9

Operations Monitoring2.9

Coordination2.9

Social Perceptiveness2.9

Judgment and Decision Making2.9

Time Management2.8

Quality Control Analysis2.5

Complex Problem Solving2.4

O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale

Knowledge the work draws on

Production and ProcessingCustomer and Personal ServiceMechanicalSales and MarketingAdministration and ManagementEducation and Training

Abilities it leans on

Near VisionFinger DexterityArm-Hand SteadinessProblem SensitivitySpeech ClarityOral Comprehension

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.

DyerSewerLacerMenderCobblerStitcherPad HandRepairerShoe DyerBootmakerShoe MakerBench HandBoot MakerShoe Cutter

O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation

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Which of these do you use

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optionalAdds to the report: the tools gap, and from $49 what each tool is worth

Microsoft Excel

What are you deciding

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$29Occupation reportPay where you are, conditions, preparation, education, what you carry into another job.$49Professional reportAdds two decades of pay, industries, geography, what changed, adjacent occupations and what to study.$99International offerAdds named employers and their actual rates from visa filings, the seniority pay ladder and the cities that hire.

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What you learn	$29	$49	$99
What it pays in your city and industry	✓	✓	✓
Working conditions, preparation, education	✓	✓	✓
What you carry into another occupation	✓	✓	✓
What this job is called in postings	✓	✓	✓
How pay changed over the years	brief	✓	✓
Where the industry changes the number	—	✓	✓
Where the work actually is	—	✓	✓
What appeared and disappeared in the job	—	✓	✓
How long it takes to become competent	—	✓	✓
Where to move next and what to learn	—	✓	✓
What AI is already changing in this job	—	✓	✓
What your tools are worth on the market	—	✓	✓
What to study to get in	—	✓	✓
What the same work pays in Britain	—	—	✓
What the same work pays in Canada	—	—	✓
Who hires, by name, and at what rates	—	—	✓
The money ladder by skill level	—	—	✓
Cities that actually sponsor visas	—	—	✓
Sections in the report, typically	73–7	155–16	198–23
Who it is for	If you are deciding whether this work is worth your time.	If you are in the occupation and deciding where to move next.	If you are aiming for an offer abroad.

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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

+Microsoft Excel

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”.

O*NET 30.3 related occupations

Also called

JackDyerLacerSewerCutterSewersMenderCobblerJackmanStitcherPad HandRepairer

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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