- The middle half earn between $23.99 and $38.72 an hour.
- Only 5 states pay locksmiths more at the median.
- California pays more than all 3 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 2,060 locksmiths on payrolls in California.
- At the state median wage, a locksmith business needs to bill about $122.10 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Locksmith pay in California, bottom to top
BLS files these as locksmiths and safe repairers: the people who open and repair locks, make keys, change locks and combinations, and install and repair safes.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $22.61 | $47,020 | $17.08 |
| 25th percentile | $23.99 | $49,910 | $20.75 |
| Median | $29.33 | $61,010 | $24.68 |
| 75th percentile | $38.72 | $80,530 | $31.04 |
| 90th percentile | $44.73 | $93,030 | $38.17 |
| Average (mean) | $32.30 | $67,180 | $26.67 |
Pay is bunched up in California. The top tenth earn $44.73 an hour or more, about 2 times the $22.61 at the bottom tenth. Nationally that gap is 2.2 times, so the step from the bottom of the scale to the top is shorter here than in most places.
Both ends of the scale beat the national figures: $22.61 against $17.08 at the bottom tenth, and $44.73 against $38.17 at the top.
The average wage, $32.30, sits 10% above the median. A smaller group of higher earners pulls the average up, so the median is the better guide to what a typical locksmith makes.
How California compares with other states
Over a full year, the California median of $61,010 is $9,690 more than the national $51,320.
In the state ranking, California sits 6th, between New York ($29.73) and Maryland ($29.01). The range runs from $17.20 in Arkansas to $36.89 in the District of Columbia.
California pays locksmiths more than any of its neighboring states, Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. Someone working near the border can earn more by taking work on this side of it.
These are wages as paid, not adjusted for what it costs to live in California. Rent, home prices and taxes decide how far a higher wage goes.
How many locksmiths work in California
BLS estimates 2,060 locksmiths on payrolls in California, 13.7% of the 15,040 nationwide. No other state has more.
That is 0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in California, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What a locksmith business in California should charge
Higher wages in California go straight into the price. Take a locksmith business in California paying the state median of $29.33 and run it through the labor rate calculator with its starting numbers (40-hour weeks, 10 paid days off, 2 unbilled hours a day, 7.65% payroll taxes, $90,000 a year of overhead and 15% profit).
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours | 40 × 52 | 2,080 |
| Hours at work | 2,080 − 10 days × 8 | 2,000 |
| Billable hours | 2,000 × 6 ÷ 8 | 1,500 |
| Labor cost | $29.33 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $65,673 |
| Break-even rate | ($65,673 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $103.78 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $103.78 ÷ 0.85 | $122.10 |
That is $122.10 per billable hour, 4.2 times the wage, and $8.17 more than the $113.93 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $38.72 in California, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $138.59.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $23.99, the rate only drops to $112.72.
Overhead, at $60 of every billed hour, and the unbilled hours move this rate more than a raise does. A dollar more in wages adds about $1.76 to the rate.
Run it with your own numbers in the labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Working as a locksmith in California
- Licensing. What California asks for before you can work on your own: Locksmith license in California.
- Running the business. Quotes, invoices, booking and your website in one place: how locksmiths run on Koira.
- Getting found. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
The figures are the BLS state estimates for SOC 49-9094, locksmiths and safe repairers, across all industries, read straight from the May 2025 state data file. They cover wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Where BLS did not publish a figure, this page leaves it out.
All states in one table: locksmith salary by state.