Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Production · SOC 51-6041 · O*NET 51-6041.00
Construct, decorate, or repair leather and leather-like products, such as luggage, shoes, and saddles. May use hand tools.
Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers fall under the Production category in the U.S. occupational classification. Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers earn a median salary of $35,950 per year, ranking in the top 94% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -3.8% job growth through 2034, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Entry into this field typically requires an apprenticeship, technical certification, or postsecondary training, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do shoe and leather workers and repairers earn?
The median annual wage for shoe and leather workers and repairers is $35,950. That puts shoe and leather workers and repairers at #761 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is around or below the U.S. median for individual workers, so career growth often depends on advancement into supervisory roles, specialization, or additional credentials. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $25,170 |
| 25th percentile | $29,400 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $35,950 |
| 75th percentile | $41,400 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $48,090 |
| Median hourly wage | $17.29/hr |
Is shoe and leather workers and repairers a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for shoe and leather workers and repairers is -3.8%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 9K positions in 2024 to 9K in 2034, a net change of 0K. A declining outlook does not mean the field is disappearing; it means automation, demographics, or substitution effects are shrinking the pool of openings. Students entering a declining field should plan for adjacent skills that transfer to growing roles.
What do shoe and leather workers and repairers do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working shoe and leather workers and repairers, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Cut out parts, following patterns or outlines, using knives, shears, scissors, or machine presses.
- 2.Drill or punch holes and insert or attach metal rings, handles, and fastening hardware, such as buckles.
- 3.Dye, soak, polish, paint, stamp, stitch, stain, buff, or engrave leather or other materials to obtain desired effects, decorations, or shapes.
- 4.Construct, decorate, or repair leather products according to specifications, using sewing machines, needles and thread, leather lacing, glue, clamps, hand tools, or rivets.
- 5.Inspect articles for defects, and remove damaged or worn parts, using hand tools.
- 6.Repair and recondition leather products such as trunks, luggage, shoes, saddles, belts, purses, and baseball gloves.
- 7.Align and stitch or glue materials such as fabric, fleece, leather, or wood, to join parts.
Top skills for shoe and leather workers and repairers
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become shoe and leather workers and repairer?
Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers typically enter the field through a formal apprenticeship, technical certification, or vocational training program — a strong fit for teens who prefer hands-on learning over traditional college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about shoe and leather workers and repairers
What is the median salary for shoe and leather workers and repairers?
The median annual salary for shoe and leather workers and repairers is $35,950 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is shoe and leather workers and repairers a growing career?
BLS projects -3.8% growth for shoe and leather workers and repairers from 2024 through 2034, which is declining growth projected to lose jobs through 2034.
What education does my child need to become shoe and leather workers and repairer?
The typical entry path requires an apprenticeship, technical certification, or postsecondary training, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to shoe and leather workers and repairers?
Related occupations within the Production category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.