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Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers in Kentucky

Thinking about a career as a Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers in Kentucky? Below are the key facts. Construct, decorate, or repair leather and leather-like products, such as luggage, shoes, and saddles. May use hand tools.

What do Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers Make in Kentucky?

The shoe and leather workers and repairers working in Kentucky, the typical annual salary is $38,790 per year (or about $18.65/hour).Annual wages span from $26,950 at the 10th percentile to $39,090 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$26,950	$12.96
25th percentile	$31,340	$15.07
Median (50th)	$38,790	$18.65
75th percentile	$38,790	$18.65
90th percentile	$39,090	$18.79

The location quotient — a measure of how concentrated this occupation is in Kentucky relative to the national average — is 0.39, meaning fewer shoe and leather workers and repairers per worker than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, shoe and leather workers and repairers earn a median of $39,627 per year ($19.05/hour), lower than the Kentucky median.

Employment Outlook

There are roughly 215,892 shoe and leather workers and repairers nationwide. In Kentucky alone, approximately 40 people work in this role. That’s below the typical state, which employs around 170 shoe and leather workers and repairers.

Top States for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers Employment

These states have the highest employment of shoe and leather workers and repairers work.

State	Number Employed
Texas	1,870
California	600
Florida	520
Massachusetts	510
Wisconsin	420
Tennessee	380
Oregon	310
New Jersey	230
New York	200
Arkansas	180
Missouri	180
Illinois	170
Ohio	170
North Carolina	170
Maine	160
Minnesota	160
Georgia	150
Virginia	100
Michigan	80
Pennsylvania	70

Highest-Paying States for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers

These states pay the most for shoe and leather workers and repairers.

State	Annual Median Salary
Washington	$80,670
Tennessee	$50,790
Iowa	$48,010
New York	$43,740
Wisconsin	$40,440
Arizona	$40,260
Oregon	$39,680
Minnesota	$39,350
Montana	$39,250
Illinois	$38,790

Skills

Top shoe and leather workers and repairers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Important knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

Key abilities for shoe and leather workers and repairers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Day-to-day, shoe and leather workers and repairers typically:

• 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.

Work Activities

• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Controlling Machines and Processes
• Handling and Moving Objects
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
• Getting Information
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Performing General Physical Activities
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

Tools & Technology

Software and systems commonly involved: Hot technologies: Microsoft Excel

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Related college programs include:

• Leatherworking & Upholstery

Related Careers

Other careers like shoe and leather workers and repairers include:

• Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters
• Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic
• Print Binding and Finishing Workers
• Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials
• Sewing Machine Operators
• Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders

Also Known As

Back Shoe Cutter, Bench Hand, Boot Maker, Boot Repairer, Boot and Saddle Repair Person, Bootmaker, Cobbler, Custom Leather Products Maker, Custom Shoe Maker, Custom Shoemaker, Dyer, Finger Cobbler, Footwear Stitcher, Hand Bootmaker, Harness Maker.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 51-6041.00