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Boston Career Explorer

Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

Locksmiths and Safe Repairers

Repair and open locks, make keys, change locks and safe combinations, and install and repair safes.

Also called: Certified Professional Safe Technician (CPS), CML (Certified Master Locksmith), CMS (Certified Master Safecracker), Forensic Locksmith, Lock Technician (Lock Tech), Locksmith

Median pay in Greater Boston
$61,500
$29.57/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
230
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−7.8%
40 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Long-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$50,960$58,960$61,500$83,680$101,160

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Cut new or duplicate keys, using impressions or code key machines.
  • Insert new or repaired tumblers into locks to change combinations.
  • Move picklocks in cylinders to open door locks without keys.
  • Cut new or duplicate keys, using key cutting machines.
  • Open safe locks by drilling.
  • Set up and maintain master key systems.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure20 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 22
  • Language-model AIOE 18
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 19

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. Cutting keys, picking locks, and drilling safes are hands-on tasks that AI tools do not do. The bigger change is demand: smart locks, phone apps, and key kiosks mean fewer people need a locksmith, and Massachusetts projections show a 7.8% decline from 2024 to 2034.

Likely to change

  • Key copying moving to kiosks and apps
  • Opening locks with smart lock technology

Still relies on people

  • Picking and drilling locks by hand
  • Repairing and installing safes on site

What federal projections say

“Demand change - share decreases as new smart locks, apps on smart phones, key kiosks, and voice-activated locks reduce the need to hire a locksmith to open locks or create key copies.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

1 program near Boston

Related occupations

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