- The middle half earn between $34.81 and $41.28 an hour.
- No state pays locksmiths more at the median.
- The District of Columbia pays more than both neighboring states.
- At the state median wage, a locksmith business needs to bill about $135.37 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Locksmith pay in the District of Columbia, 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 | $28.84 | $60,000 | $17.08 |
| 25th percentile | $34.81 | $72,400 | $20.75 |
| Median | $36.89 | $76,740 | $24.68 |
| 75th percentile | $41.28 | $85,870 | $31.04 |
| 90th percentile | $50.24 | $104,500 | $38.17 |
| Average (mean) | $37.65 | $78,310 | $26.67 |
Pay is bunched up in the District of Columbia. The top tenth earn $50.24 an hour or more, about 1.7 times the $28.84 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: $28.84 against $17.08 at the bottom tenth, and $50.24 against $38.17 at the top.
The average, $37.65, is close to the median, so pay sits fairly evenly around the middle.
How the District of Columbia compares with other states
Over a full year, the the District of Columbia median of $76,740 is $25,420 more than the national $51,320.
No state pays more. The next highest is Connecticut at $33.31, and the lowest is Arkansas at $17.20.
The District of Columbia pays locksmiths more than any of its neighboring states, Maryland and Virginia. 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 the District of Columbia. Rent, home prices and taxes decide how far a higher wage goes.
How many locksmiths work in the District of Columbia
BLS did not publish a count of locksmiths employed in the District of Columbia for May 2025. That happens when the survey sample is too thin to estimate the number with confidence. The wage figures above were published and are used as they are.
What a locksmith business in the District of Columbia should charge
Higher wages in the District of Columbia go straight into the price. Take a locksmith business in the District of Columbia paying the state median of $36.89 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 | $36.89 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $82,601 |
| Break-even rate | ($82,601 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $115.07 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $115.07 ÷ 0.85 | $135.37 |
That is $135.37 per billable hour, 3.7 times the wage, and $21.44 more than the $113.93 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $41.28 in the District of Columbia, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $143.08.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $34.81, the rate only drops to $131.72.
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 the District of Columbia
- 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.