TL;DR

About 1,300 watch and clock repairers nationally earn a mean of $68,991. Projections imply about 13.5% annual decline; much hiring sits in retail trade.

Key Statistics

1,300
2023 Workforce
None
Average Age
$68,991
Average Salary

Watch and Clock Repairers: what the data shows

Common questions about watch and clock repairers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.

What is a watch and clock repairers?

Watch and Clock Repairers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 49-9064.

U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 1,300 workers.

What does a watch and clock repairers do?

O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information, Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.

How much does a watch and clock repairers make?

BLS national median annual wage: $60,690 (May 2024 in our extract).

Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $68,991 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.

Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).

Wage percentileAnnual wage
10th percentile$40,657
25th percentile$46,285
Median (50th)$55,959
75th percentile$101,207
90th percentile$115,205

What education do you need?

For Watch and Clock Repairers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).

These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.

What skills do you need?

O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Repairing, Operations Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Quality Control Analysis, Judgment and Decision Making, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Mechanical, Administrative. See Education & Skills for detail.

Is watch and clock repairers in demand?

Historical employment trend in our series implies about 13.5% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).

Five-year projected employment change: -51.5%.

Ten-year projected employment change: -76.5%.

Current U.S. headcount: 1,300.

We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.

Where do watch and clock repairerss work?

Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:

IndustryEmploymentShare
Cross-industry1,30023.9%
Cross-industry, Private Ownership only1,30023.9%
Retail Trade75013.8%
Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers73013.4%
Jewelry, Luggage, and Leather Goods Retailers70012.9%
Other Services (except Public Administration)1903.5%

See Industry for charts.

What degrees lead to this career?

Common majors for Watch and Clock Repairers in O*NET:

See Related degrees.

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Watch and Clock Repairers workforce.

Employment Over Time

1,300 Workforce in 2023

The Watch and Clock Repairers workforce has been growing over time.

Historical employment trends for Watch and Clock Repairers.

Yearly Wage Ranking

$68,991 Average Wage

In 2023, Watch and Clock Repairers earned an average of $68,991.

Wage ranking compared to other occupations.

Wage Distribution

This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Watch and Clock Repairers.

Salary distribution for Watch and Clock Repairers.

Employment Growth Projections

-13.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

48 Projected Employment (5 years)

Projected growth: -51.5%

23 Projected Employment (10 years)

Projected growth: -76.5%

This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.

Historical employment trends and future projections for Watch and Clock Repairers.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Watch and Clock Repairers and on wages for those in the field.

Occupations by Industries

This graphic shows the share of Watch and Clock Repairers employed by various industries.

Industry distribution for Watch and Clock Repairers.

Wage Trends by Industry

16.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate

Total, All Industry: 16.2% growth (Current: $68,991)

Historical wage growth trends by industry for Watch and Clock Repairers.

Geographic Distribution

Employment and wage information by geographic location for Watch and Clock Repairers.

State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.

Top States by Employment

Top States by Employment:

  • TX: 130 employees, $80,000 avg wage
  • IL: 80 employees, $57,680 avg wage
  • PA: 80 employees, $59,800 avg wage
  • MD: 50 employees, $51,480 avg wage
  • CO: 40 employees, $69,110 avg wage
  • GA: 40 employees, $52,270 avg wage
  • MS: 30 employees, $77,190 avg wage

Top 10 states by employment for Watch and Clock Repairers.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Top Metropolitan Areas:

  • New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 120 employees, $64,510 avg wage
  • Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 70 employees, $59,630 avg wage

Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Watch and Clock Repairers.

Diversity

Demographic information on Watch and Clock Repairers in the US.

Gender and Age

The workforce of Watch and Clock Repairers in 2023 was 1,300 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.

Gender and age distribution for Watch and Clock Repairers.

Races

Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.

Race and ethnicity distribution for Watch and Clock Repairers.

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices and required skills for Watch and Clock Repairers.

Majors

The most common majors achieved by Watch and Clock Repairers in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Business.

Common majors for Watch and Clock Repairers.

Education Levels

The main educational levels achieved by Watch and Clock Repairers workers.

Education level distribution for Watch and Clock Repairers.

Skills

Watch and Clock Repairers need many skills, but most especially Repairing, Operations Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Quality Control Analysis.

Required skills for Watch and Clock Repairers.

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge areas and abilities required for Watch and Clock Repairers.

Knowledge Areas

The most important knowledge areas for Watch and Clock Repairers include Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Mechanical, Administrative, Engineering and Technology.

Knowledge areas required for Watch and Clock Repairers.

Abilities

Key abilities needed for Watch and Clock Repairers include Finger Dexterity, Control Precision, Near Vision, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Manual Dexterity.

Required abilities for Watch and Clock Repairers.

Work Activities

Common work activities performed by Watch and Clock Repairers.

Daily Activities

Watch and Clock Repairers spend their time on activities such as Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information.

Most important work activities for Watch and Clock Repairers.

About

Watch and Clock Repairers

The average yearly wage for Watch and Clock Repairers was $68,991 in 2023.

SOC Code

49-9064 - Watch and Clock Repairers

Insights and Analysis

Compensation snapshot: Watch and Clock Repairers reports an average salary of $68,991.

Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 1,300 workers, indicating sustained demand.

Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -13.5%, which should inform long-term career planning.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.

All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.