Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers
Also called: Back Shoe Cutter, Bench Hand, Boot and Saddle Repair Person, Boot Maker, Boot Repairer, Bootmaker, Cobbler, Custom Leather Products Maker
Construct, decorate, or repair leather and leather-like products, such as luggage, shoes, and saddles.
What shoe and leather workers and repairers do
Typical tasks
- Dye, soak, polish, paint, stamp, stitch, stain, buff, or engrave leather or other materials to obtain desired effects, decorations, or shapes.
- Cut out parts, following patterns or outlines, using knives, shears, scissors, or machine presses.
- Construct, decorate, or repair leather products according to specifications, using sewing machines, needles and thread, leather lacing, glue, clamps, hand tools, or rivets.
- Repair and recondition leather products such as trunks, luggage, shoes, saddles, belts, purses, and baseball gloves.
- Align and stitch or glue materials such as fabric, fleece, leather, or wood, to join parts.
- Inspect articles for defects, and remove damaged or worn parts, using hand tools.
- Drill or punch holes and insert or attach metal rings, handles, and fastening hardware, such as buckles.
- 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.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers salary
The median annual wage for shoe and leather workers and repairers is $37,800 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $28,210 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $52,550. The mean annual wage is $39,160.
The mean hourly wage of $18.00 is 2.5× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $37,800 → in 3 years $40,900 → in 5 years $43,000 → in 10 years $49,000 (10-year range $42,100–$56,900). The model assumes pay growth of +2.6% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers United States | かばん・袋物製造 Japan | 靴製造 Japan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $37,800 | ¥4.11M ≈ $26,111 | ¥4.11M ≈ $26,111 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $49,000 | ¥5.29M | ¥5.33M |
| Outlook score | 37 | 48 | 50 |
| AI replacement risk | 30% Low | 46% Moderate | 36% Low |
| Workers | 7,450 | — | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★☆☆☆☆ Easy to enter (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become shoe and leather workers and repairers
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as shoe and leather workers and repairers
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.