Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers Salary: $39,172 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 7,640 shoe and leather workers and repairers nationally earn a mean of $39,172. Projections imply about 0.8% annual growth; much hiring sits in manufacturing.
Key Statistics
Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers: what the data shows
Common questions about shoe and leather workers and repairers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a shoe and leather workers and repairers?
Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-6041.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 7,640 workers.
What does a shoe and leather workers and repairers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Controlling Machines and Processes, Handling and Moving Objects, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a shoe and leather workers and repairers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $35,950 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $39,172 — 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 percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $35,314 |
| 25th percentile | $37,222 |
| Median (50th) | $38,084 |
| 75th percentile | $41,490 |
| 90th percentile | $42,280 |
What education do you need?
For Shoe and Leather Workers and 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 Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Active Listening, Coordination, Social Perceptiveness, and knowledge areas including Production and Processing, Customer and Personal Service, Mechanical, Sales and Marketing. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is shoe and leather workers and repairers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.8% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 4.3%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 8.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 7,640.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do shoe and leather workers and repairerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 7,640 | 20.2% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 7,640 | 20.2% |
| Manufacturing | 5,870 | 15.5% |
| Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing | 5,710 | 15.1% |
| Footwear Manufacturing | 2,580 | 6.8% |
| Other Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing | 2,430 | 6.4% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers workforce.
Employment Over Time
7,640 Workforce in 2023
The Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$39,172 Average Wage
In 2023, Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers earned an average of $39,172.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers.
Salary distribution for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers.
Employment Growth Projections
0.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
2,001 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 4.3%
2,087 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 8.7%
This occupation is projected to grow at 0.8% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers.
Wage Trends by Industry
-4.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: -4.4% growth (Current: $39,172)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Shoe and Leather Workers and 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: 1,870 employees, $29,850 avg wage
- CA: 600 employees, $38,180 avg wage
- FL: 520 employees, $32,100 avg wage
- MA: 510 employees, $40,700 avg wage
- WI: 420 employees, $39,600 avg wage
- TN: 380 employees, $43,900 avg wage
- OR: 310 employees, $42,060 avg wage
- NJ: 230 employees, $37,850 avg wage
- NY: 200 employees, $42,070 avg wage
- AR: 180 employees, $32,450 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 380 employees, $41,050 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 350 employees, $35,470 avg wage
- El Paso, TX: 340 employees, $23,170 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 340 employees, $40,260 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 280 employees, $37,610 avg wage
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: 240 employees, $43,870 avg wage
- Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI: 230 employees, $41,630 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA: 120 employees, $36,610 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 110 employees, $32,830 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 80 employees, $36,240 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers in 2023 was 7,640 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Shoe and Leather Workers and 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 Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Business.
Common majors for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers workers.
Education level distribution for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers.
Skills
Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Active Listening, Coordination.
Required skills for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers include Production and Processing, Customer and Personal Service, Mechanical, Sales and Marketing, Administration and Management.
Knowledge areas required for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers include Near Vision, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Finger Dexterity, Problem Sensitivity, Manual Dexterity.
Required abilities for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers.
Daily Activities
Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers spend their time on activities such as Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Controlling Machines and Processes, Handling and Moving Objects, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards.
Most important work activities for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers.
About
Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers
The average yearly wage for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers was $39,172 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-6041 - Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers reports an average salary of $39,172.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 7,640 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.8%, 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.