How much do welders make?

Welder salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers (SOC 51-4121) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Welders in the US earned a median of $53,750 a year ($25.84 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $46,790 to $63,010.

Median annual pay: $53,750; Mean $56,760
Median hourly pay: $25.84; Mean $27.29
Typical range (10th–90th): $39.2K–$77.5K; $39,240 to $77,530
US jobs: 416,210; +2.4% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a welder: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: Alaska

Welder pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$39,240
25th percentile$46,790
Median$53,750
75th percentile$63,010
90th percentile$77,530

Half of all welders earned more than $53,750 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $39,240; the top 10% made over $77,530. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $46,790 to $63,010.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$39,240	$18.87	$3,270
25th	$46,790	$22.50	$3,899
Median (50th)	$53,750	$25.84	$4,479
75th	$63,010	$30.29	$5,251
90th	$77,530	$37.28	$6,461
Mean (average)	$56,760	$27.29	$4,730

Welder salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for welders by state. Darker tiles pay more.

Highest-paying states

1. Alaska $80,840
2. Hawaii $79,000
3. Connecticut $64,880
4. Wyoming $63,820
5. Washington $63,020

Lowest-paying states

51. Arkansas $47,970
50. Tennessee $48,040
49. Georgia $48,430
48. Alabama $48,490
47. West Virginia $48,810

Best after cost of living: Alaska. Its median of $80,840 is worth about $78,977 at national-average prices.


Alabama	$48,490	48	$54,592	37	$23.31	12,450	5.89
Alaska	$80,840	1	$78,977	1	$38.87	790	2.42
Arizona	$55,600	27	$55,226	30	$26.73	7,270	2.25
Arkansas	$47,970	51	$55,178	31	$23.06	6,150	4.72
California	$58,060	24	$52,439	45	$27.91	26,060	1.43
Colorado	$58,590	21	$56,855	27	$28.17	4,970	1.73
Connecticut	$64,880	3	$62,619	9	$31.19	1,790	1.05
Delaware	$57,270	25	$57,380	24	$27.54	600	1.24
District of Columbia	$60,180	15	$54,758	35	$28.93	280	0.40
Florida	$50,640	36	$48,968	51	$24.35	16,420	1.65
Georgia	$48,430	49	$50,294	49	$23.28	13,130	2.69
Hawaii	$79,000	2	$71,850	2	$37.98	520	0.82
Idaho	$50,530	39	$52,914	44	$24.30	3,300	3.85
Illinois	$51,320	34	$51,342	48	$24.67	16,260	2.67
Indiana	$49,730	43	$53,285	43	$23.91	13,280	4.15
Iowa	$55,090	28	$62,772	8	$26.49	9,270	5.94
Kansas	$49,410	46	$54,859	33	$23.75	6,370	4.43
Kentucky	$51,470	33	$57,088	26	$24.74	6,630	3.31
Louisiana	$62,250	8	$70,573	3	$29.93	13,690	7.08
Maine	$62,220	9	$64,111	7	$29.92	1,690	2.65
Maryland	$60,310	13	$57,461	23	$29.00	2,850	1.03
Massachusetts	$62,570	6	$59,164	15	$30.08	2,830	0.78
Michigan	$49,990	41	$51,955	47	$24.03	13,330	3.03
Minnesota	$60,280	14	$61,123	13	$28.98	9,270	3.14
Mississippi	$51,100	35	$58,767	18	$24.57	6,460	5.56
Missouri	$51,950	32	$57,203	25	$24.98	10,600	3.61
Montana	$55,610	26	$58,756	19	$26.73	1,530	2.99
Nebraska	$52,220	31	$57,956	21	$25.10	4,200	4.10
Nevada	$61,520	11	$61,533	12	$29.58	1,600	1.03
New Hampshire	$62,360	7	$59,867	14	$29.98	1,110	1.63
New Jersey	$59,440	18	$54,630	36	$28.58	3,730	0.87
New Mexico	$59,840	16	$64,894	6	$28.77	2,390	2.75
New York	$59,140	20	$54,799	34	$28.43	8,310	0.86
North Carolina	$50,590	37	$53,633	41	$24.32	11,750	2.38
North Dakota	$62,000	10	$69,695	4	$29.81	2,590	6.04
Ohio	$50,340	40	$54,261	39	$24.20	20,330	3.66
Oklahoma	$49,720	44	$56,601	28	$23.90	9,960	5.83
Oregon	$59,450	17	$57,517	22	$28.58	5,240	2.67
Pennsylvania	$52,900	30	$54,216	40	$25.43	17,850	2.94
Rhode Island	$50,580	38	$49,452	50	$24.32	2,300	4.59
South Carolina	$49,980	42	$53,313	42	$24.03	7,380	3.20
South Dakota	$49,440	45	$55,810	29	$23.77	3,250	7.11
Tennessee	$48,040	50	$52,291	46	$23.10	12,510	3.81
Texas	$53,340	29	$54,957	32	$25.64	52,000	3.70
Utah	$58,380	23	$59,051	16	$28.07	4,440	2.56
Vermont	$60,890	12	$62,159	10	$29.27	340	1.12
Virginia	$59,180	19	$58,534	20	$28.45	10,100	2.46
Washington	$63,020	5	$58,890	17	$30.30	7,720	2.17
West Virginia	$48,810	47	$54,538	38	$23.46	2,100	3.00
Wisconsin	$58,410	22	$62,076	11	$28.08	15,320	5.21
Wyoming	$63,820	4	$68,852	5	$30.69	1,850	6.58

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for welders

377 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
Lima, OH	$85,790	$95,674	470
Urban Honolulu, HI	$81,120	$73,107	430
Fairbanks-College, AK	$80,210	$77,717	70
Baton Rouge, LA	$78,170	$86,109	3,690
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT	$75,040	$73,034	670
Anchorage, AK	$74,000	$70,195	250
Lake Charles, LA	$72,920	$84,937	970
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA	$71,720	$67,912	740
Kahului-Wailuku, HI	$67,280	$61,503	40
Portland-South Portland, ME	$66,420	$65,208	1,060

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	15,850	$57,940	$58,745
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	10,620	$51,630	$50,082
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	9,320	$52,650	$50,823
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	7,850	$56,160	$49,451
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	5,780	$61,680	$54,796
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	5,440	$56,540	$54,725
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	5,240	$49,630	$49,601
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	4,630	$58,380	$56,926
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	4,600	$61,880	$59,033
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	4,580	$51,810	$51,656

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves welder pay: employers and settings

Location changes welder pay more than almost anything else. Alaska has the highest median at $80,840, followed by Hawaii at $79,000, Connecticut at $64,880, Wyoming at $63,820, and Washington at $63,020. The lowest medians are Georgia at $48,430, Tennessee at $48,040, and Arkansas at $47,970. After adjusting for living costs, Alaska still ranks first, at $78,977 adjusted.

The kind of employer matters too. Most manufacturing employers pay close to the overall median. Machinery makers pay $53,680 and machine shops $52,280. Structural metal and tank fabricators pay $50,640. Truck body and trailer plants are lower at $49,340. Construction contractors that put up steel structures pay $53,340. Government welders, though few, earn more: $74,240 in the federal government and $66,570 in local government, compared with $53,450 at private employers.

Across all welders, pay runs from $39,240, the 10th percentile, to $77,530, the 90th. Skills like TIG on stainless and aluminum, pipe certifications and willingness to travel for field work open better-paying jobs. Overtime and shift premiums raise take-home pay too, but BLS wage figures leave them out.

Where welders work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only)	16.8%	$50,640
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only)	13.6%	$53,680
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)	6.2%	$50,870
Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing	5.4%	$49,340
Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing	3.8%	$52,280
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors	3.6%	$53,340

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	411,630	$53,450
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	2,330	$74,240
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	520	$60,850
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	1,720	$66,570

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Welder pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$53.8K $38.1K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $38,150 in 2015 to $53,750 in 2025, up 41% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $51,571 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay grew 4% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What welders do

A welder joins metal parts by melting them together with an electric arc or a gas flame, and many also cut metal with torches or plasma and join parts by soldering or brazing. The official BLS category covers welders, cutters, solderers and brazers. Common processes include MIG, TIG and stick welding, and people describe themselves by the process or the work: MIG welder, TIG welder, fabrication welder, pipe welder.

Most welders work in manufacturing. The largest groups in our data build structural metal, tanks and boilers, machinery, truck bodies and trailers, and machined parts. Others work for construction contractors on steel buildings and structures, in repair shops, or on pipelines and plants. Shop welders often work at a fixed station on a production line; field and pipe welders move from site to site, sometimes outdoors or high off the ground. The job means heat, sparks, fumes and bright arc light, so welders wear helmets, gloves, flame-resistant clothing and hearing protection, and in factories they often work rotating shifts.

A typical day

Read blueprints and welding procedure specs to see joint type, size and process
Grind, clean and fit up parts, using clamps and tack welds to hold them square
Set the machine's amperage, wire speed or gas flow for the metal and thickness
Lay weld beads with MIG, TIG or stick processes in flat, vertical or overhead positions
Cut and shape plate and pipe with oxy-fuel torches, plasma cutters or saws
Inspect finished welds for cracks, porosity and undercut, then grind out and repair defects
Maintain equipment and keep the work area clear of fire hazards

Also called: welding, pipe welder, assembly line brazer, brazer, fabrication welder, maintenance welder, mig welder (metal inert gas welder), solderer.

How to become a welder

Full guide

Most welders finish high school and then take a welding program at a technical school or community college, often two semesters, followed by on-the-job training; others train through an apprenticeship. Certification, such as the AWS Certified Welder test, is usually optional but often expected by employers.

Typical time: About 1 year; Fastest: A few months (on-the-job training)
Minimum education: High school diploma or equivalent, usually plus technical training
License: Not licensed in most places (certification optional); some states and localities require a license
Typical training cost: $4.5K–$8.9K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a welder: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: About 1 year; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $4.5K–$8.9K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $53,750; $2,770 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 8–17%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($2,770 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in about 1.6–3.2 years after training ends (about 1 year in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for welders

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +2.4%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 437,700; 448,100 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 40,300; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 4.3%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects welder employment to grow 2.4% from 2025 to 2035, from 437,700 to 448,100. That is slower than the 3.5% expected for all occupations. Even so, about 40,300 openings are expected each year, nearly all from welders who retire or move into other work.

BLS expects work rebuilding aging bridges, highways and buildings, along with steady need in plants that make metal products and machinery. Automation in manufacturing, such as robotic welding, holds overall growth down.

Related careers and their pay

Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,920
Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$51,330
Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers$65,380
Engine and Other Machine Assemblers$53,710
Boilermakers$76,410

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Welder salary FAQ

How much do welders make an hour?

The median hourly wage for welders was $25.84 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $18.87 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $37.28. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays welders the most?

Alaska has the highest median pay for welders, $80,840 a year, followed by Hawaii ($79,000) and Connecticut ($64,880). After adjusting for each state's price level, Alaska comes out ahead at about $78,977 in national-average dollars.

Do welders make six figures?

Few do: based on the BLS percentiles, fewer than 10% of welders earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $53,750, and the top 10% earn more than $77,530. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

Which states have the most welding jobs?

Texas has by far the most welders, with 52,000, followed by California with 26,060, Ohio with 20,330, Pennsylvania with 17,850 and Florida with 16,420. Texas combines heavy manufacturing with oil, gas and petrochemical work. The highest medians are elsewhere, in Alaska and Hawaii, where there are far fewer jobs.

Has welder pay kept up with inflation?

Yes, a little. The median rose from $38,150 in 2015 to $53,750 in 2025. Adjusted to 2025 dollars, the 2015 median was $51,571 and so welders earn slightly more in real terms than a decade ago. These figures leave out overtime pay, and travel per diem is not wages either.

Do pipe welders make more than other welders?

BLS does not publish separate pay for pipe welders, so our figures cover all welders, cutters, solderers and brazers. Pipe welding generally takes more skill and testing, and much of it is field work on pipelines, refineries and plants, which can come with overtime and travel. Those factors help explain why some welders earn well above the $53,750 median.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 51-4121
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (51-4121.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
Certified Welder Program, American Welding Society · checked October 28, 2026
Certified Welding Inspector (CWI), American Welding Society · checked October 28, 2026
Career Seekers and Apprenticeship Occupations, Apprenticeship.gov, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026
Welding Technology Certificate, Howard Community College · checked October 28, 2026
Welding Technology, Certificate of Achievement, Truckee Meadows Community College · checked October 28, 2026
Bulletin 2023-101: New NOF Apprenticeable Occupation, Combination Welder, Office of Apprenticeship, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026

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