- The middle half earn between $16.00 and $27.97 an hour.
- North Carolina is 39th of the 48 states with published figures, in the bottom ten for this trade.
- North Carolina pays less than all 4 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 480 locksmiths on payrolls in North Carolina.
- At the state median wage, a locksmith business needs to bill about $109.35 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Locksmith pay in North Carolina, 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 | $13.95 | $29,020 | $17.08 |
| 25th percentile | $16.00 | $33,270 | $20.75 |
| Median | $22.07 | $45,900 | $24.68 |
| 75th percentile | $27.97 | $58,180 | $31.04 |
| 90th percentile | $34.16 | $71,040 | $38.17 |
| Average (mean) | $22.09 | $45,950 | $26.67 |
Pay spreads out a lot in North Carolina. The bottom tenth earn $13.95 an hour or less while the top tenth earn $34.16 or more, a gap of 2.4 times against 2.2 nationally. Where a locksmith sits on that range matters as much as the state.
Both ends trail the national figures. The bottom tenth earn $3.13 an hour less than the bottom tenth nationally, and the top tenth $4.01 less than the national top tenth.
The average, $22.09, is close to the median, so pay sits fairly evenly around the middle.
How North Carolina compares with other states
Over a full year, the North Carolina median of $45,900 is $5,420 less than the national $51,320.
In the state ranking, North Carolina sits 39th, between Iowa ($22.29) and Arizona ($21.37). The range runs from $17.20 in Arkansas to $36.89 in the District of Columbia.
Every one of the neighboring states pays locksmiths more than North Carolina. The closest is South Carolina at $22.39, and the biggest gap is with Georgia.
BLS wages are not adjusted for living costs. Lower pay often comes with lower housing costs, so the gap in take-home value can be smaller than the gap in wages.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | $22.07 | $45,900 | |
| Georgia | $25.99 | $54,050 | +$3.92 an hour |
| South Carolina | $22.39 | $46,560 | +$0.32 an hour |
| Tennessee | $24.16 | $50,250 | +$2.09 an hour |
| Virginia | $25.76 | $53,590 | +$3.69 an hour |
How many locksmiths work in North Carolina
About 480 locksmiths work on payrolls in North Carolina, 3.2% of the 15,040 nationwide, the 7th largest count among the states.
That is 0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in North Carolina, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What a locksmith business in North Carolina should charge
A lower wage helps the price less than you might expect, because the overhead does not shrink with it. Here is a locksmith business in North Carolina paying the state median of $22.07, on the labor rate calculator's 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 | $22.07 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $49,417 |
| Break-even rate | ($49,417 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $92.94 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $92.94 ÷ 0.85 | $109.35 |
That is $109.35 per billable hour, 5 times the wage, and $4.58 less than the $113.93 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $27.97 in North Carolina, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $119.71.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $16.00, the rate only drops to $98.69.
At this wage, overhead is most of the price: $60 of every billed hour goes to it before anyone is paid. Spreading the same overhead over more billable hours, with a second person or less drive time, brings the rate down fastest.
Run it with your own numbers in the labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Working as a locksmith in North Carolina
- Licensing. What North Carolina asks for before you can work on your own: Locksmith license in North Carolina.
- 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.