What Does a Locksmith Do?
Keypads and card readers have widened this trade. Locksmiths install and repair mechanical and electronic locks, design master key systems and open safes for homeowners, businesses, schools and hospitals. Some run an in-house lock shop that logs who holds each key.
Also known as: Lead Locksmith, Locksmith Supervisor
Locksmith Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a locksmith include:
- Rekey locks when staff move offices, keys go missing or a building changes hands.
- Design and maintain master key systems, and keep records of who holds which key.
- Cut keys on code and duplicating machines, and stamp them for key control.
- Install and repair mortise locks, cylindrical locks, exit devices and door closers.
- Pin cylinders to match the master key chart for new doors and renovations.
- Open locked doors, desks, file cabinets and safes for authorized staff during lockouts.
- Service electrified locks and card readers alongside the access control team.
- Adjust doors that sag, rub or fail to latch so they close and lock every time.
- Change safe combinations and repair safe locks and boltwork.
- Issue keys against signed requests, and audit key returns when employees leave.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a locksmith, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Master keying and key control
- Lock mechanics: mortise, cylindrical and exit devices
- Key machines and code cutters
- Basic electrical skills for electrified hardware
- Discretion and trustworthiness, since many employers run background checks
- Careful record keeping
- Fine motor skills and patience
- State locksmith license where required
Education and Training
After high school, locksmiths usually learn the trade through long training on the job, but some start out by taking a locksmithing course at a trade school. Some states require locksmiths to be licensed. In a campus lock shop, progression to lead locksmith or supervisor may be slower, since those posts open only when someone leaves.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $43,160 - $64,560 per year, with a median of $51,320.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Locksmiths and Safe Repairers.
BLS projects employment of locksmiths and safe repairers to decline about 12 percent from 2025 to 2035, in part because keycards, keypads and smart locks are replacing more mechanical hardware. Even so, BLS still expects about 1,200 openings a year, mostly to replace locksmiths who retire. The field is small. A newcomer who can service not only pin tumbler locks but also card readers and electric strikes will have far more places to apply.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Locksmiths and safe repairers.