How much does a Certified Welder make in the United States?
As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Certified Welder in the United States is $55,096 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $26.
However, a Certified Welder's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $64,678
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $49,450 to $60,111
Key Factors That Influence Certified Welder Salaries
A Certified Welder's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how geographic location, education
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Do Certified Welder Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Certified Welders. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $69,492
San Francisco: $68,731
Oakland: $67,283
San Jose, CA$69,492
San Francisco, CA$68,731
Oakland, CA$67,283
New York, NY$63,437
Paramus, NJ$62,665
Queens Village, NY$62,662
Passaic, NJ$62,610
Bergenfield, NJ$62,605
Stamford, CT$62,484
Huntington, NY$62,461
Newark, NJ$62,054
Bridgeport, CT$61,938
Vallejo, CA$61,828
New Brunswick, NJ$61,806
Petaluma, CA$61,773
Middlesex, NJ$61,669
Somerset, NJ$61,630
Santa Cruz, CA$61,558
Boston, MA$61,222
Monterey, CA$61,029
Seattle, WA$60,903
Santa Rosa, CA$60,892
Los Angeles, CA$60,875
Juneau, AK$60,732
Washington, DC$60,671
Orange, CA$60,475
Santa Ana, CA$60,330
Long Beach, CA$60,275
Anaheim, CA$60,264
Anchorage, AK$60,236
Santa Maria, CA$60,071
Everett, WA$60,060
Danbury, CT$59,866
Bremerton, WA$59,790
Tacoma, WA$59,591
New Suffolk, NY$59,590
Sacramento, CA$59,575
Santa Barbara, CA$59,514
Trenton, NJ$59,454
San Diego, CA$59,454
Brockton, MA$59,393
Fairbanks, AK$59,258
Lompoc, CA$59,118
Lowell, MA$59,073
Ventura, CA$59,062
Nashua, NH$59,051
Stockton, CA$59,046
Modesto, CA$58,644
Poughkeepsie, NY$58,523
Olympia, WA$58,418
Kennewick, WA$58,418
New Haven, CT$58,396
Lawrence, MA$58,197
Hartford, CT$58,142
Riverside, CA$58,131
New Bedford, MA$58,076
Richland, WA$58,076
Bakersfield, CA$57,999
San Bernardino, CA$57,977
New Britain, CT$57,972
Atlantic City, NJ$57,972
New London, CT$57,950
Norwich, CT$57,933
Portsmouth, NH$57,922
Boulder, CO$57,805
Portland, OR$57,729
Worcester, MA$57,724
Minneapolis, MN$57,553
Philadelphia, PA$57,476
Honolulu, HI$57,294
Saint Paul, MN$57,267
Vineland, NJ$57,255
Providence, RI$57,096
Chicago, IL$56,936
Bellingham, WA$56,870
Springfield, MA$56,826
Baltimore, MD$56,809
Chico, CA$56,671
Pittsfield, MA$56,523
Manchester, NH$56,418
Spokane, WA$56,175
Denver, CO$56,170
Albany, NY$55,911
Troy, NY$55,889
Nassau, NY$55,830
Schenectady, NY$55,773
Wilmington, DE$55,729
Burlington, VT$55,652
Salem, OR$55,630
Portland, ME$55,459
Yakima, WA$55,404
Rochester, MN$55,233
Reno, NV$55,206
Fresno, CA$55,206
Milwaukee, WI$55,156
Detroit, MI$55,101
Ann Arbor, MI$55,092
Allentown, PA$55,085
Colorado Springs, CO$54,991
Syracuse, NY$54,963
Carson City, NV$54,963
Houston, TX$54,886
Eugene, OR$54,859
Gary, IN$54,793
Springfield, OR$54,748
Bismarck, ND$54,737
Galveston, TX$54,699
Medford, OR$54,616
Fort Collins, CO$54,594
Concord, NH$54,567
Austin, TX$54,550
Mesa, AZ$54,434
Reading, PA$54,429
Phoenix, AZ$54,423
Dallas, TX$54,407
Saint Cloud, MN$54,354
Madison, WI$54,280
Utica, NY$54,131
Rochester, NY$54,043
Des Moines, IA$54,038
Raleigh, NC$54,032
Atlanta, GA$53,950
Battle Creek, MI$53,933
Salt Lake City, UT$53,917
Lancaster, PA$53,834
Harrisburg, PA$53,757
Kansas City, MO$53,702
Champaign, IL$53,691
Kansas City, KS$53,691
Fort Worth, TX$53,685
Columbus, OH$53,676
Boca Raton, FL$53,663
Pittsburgh, PA$53,641
Richmond, VA$53,619
Indianapolis, IN$53,608
Cleveland, OH$53,603
Las Vegas, NV$53,536
Cincinnati, OH$53,536
Petersburg, VA$53,454
Huntsville, AL$53,371
Lansing, MI$53,334
Lebanon, PA$53,327
Pueblo, CO$53,322
Appleton, WI$53,305
Buffalo, NY$53,283
Dayton, OH$53,266
Racine, WI$53,255
Charlotte, NC$53,250
Saint Louis, MO$53,233
York, PA$53,200
Elkhart, IN$53,200
Gastonia, NC$53,190
Billings, MT$53,177
Beaumont, TX$53,162
Lorain, OH$53,151
Benton Harbor, MI$53,140
Toledo, OH$53,129
Binghamton, NY$53,101
Rock Hill, SC$53,096
Rockford, IL$53,068
Springfield, IL$53,046
Elyria, OH$53,041
Fargo, ND$53,041
Flagstaff, AZ$53,002
Fort Lauderdale, FL$52,969
Duluth, MN$52,936
Miami, FL$52,936
Cheyenne, WY$52,897
Grand Forks, ND$52,897
Bangor, ME$52,776
Cedar Rapids, IA$52,715
Durham, NC$52,692
Louisville, KY$52,688
Grand Rapids, MI$52,677
Hialeah, FL$52,671
Casper, WY$52,594
Scranton, PA$52,528
New Orleans, LA$52,512
Virginia Beach, VA$52,506
Akron, OH$52,479
Peoria, IL$52,407
Sarasota, FL$52,396
Nashville, TN$52,357
Omaha, NE$52,357
Green Bay, WI$52,357
Baton Rouge, LA$52,330
Charleston, SC$52,319
Jamestown, NY$52,291
Davenport, IA$52,291
Tucson, AZ$52,264
Saint Petersburg, FL$52,231
Tampa, FL$52,220
Evansville, IN$52,187
Port Arthur, TX$52,187
Bradenton, FL$52,165
Santa Fe, NM$52,065
Orlando, FL$51,966
Clearwater, FL$51,950
Canton, OH$51,834
La Crosse, WI$51,834
Albuquerque, NM$51,801
Newport News, VA$51,795
High Point, NC$51,779
Ogden, UT$51,757
Corpus Christi, TX$51,713
Norfolk, VA$51,680
Laramie, WY$51,680
Rock Island, IL$51,647
Saginaw, MI$51,636
Jacksonville, FL$51,630
Salisbury, NC$51,619
Boise, ID$51,608
Moline, IL$51,581
Fort Myers, FL$51,564
Memphis, TN$51,553
Tulsa, OK$51,525
Waterloo, IA$51,492
Spartanburg, SC$51,437
Lincoln, NE$51,410
Fort Wayne, IN$51,399
Provo, UT$51,393
Cedar Falls, IA$51,327
San Antonio, TX$51,305
Greensboro, NC$51,283
South Bend, IN$51,277
Savannah, GA$51,217
Muskegon, MI$51,195
Birmingham, AL$51,189
Winston Salem, NC$51,162
Lake Charles, LA$51,030
Anderson, IN$51,019
Lexington, KY$51,002
Augusta, GA$50,985
Greenville, SC$50,985
Lima, OH$50,941
Wichita, KS$50,936
Tuscaloosa, AL$50,936
Columbia, SC$50,886
Springfield, OH$50,875
Asheville, NC$50,787
Bloomington, IN$50,749
Knoxville, TN$50,550
Shreveport, LA$50,545
Wilmington, NC$50,473
Roanoke, VA$50,473
Topeka, KS$50,374
Frankfort, KY$50,368
Oklahoma City, OK$50,330
Chillicothe, OH$50,308
Longview, TX$50,302
Melbourne, FL$50,297
Sioux Falls, SD$50,209
Mobile, AL$50,203
Terre Haute, IN$50,181
Altoona, PA$50,148
Amarillo, TX$50,109
Killeen, TX$50,093
Fayetteville, AR$50,049
Chattanooga, TN$50,032
Sioux City, IA$49,983
Idaho Falls, ID$49,972
Lynchburg, VA$49,928
Gainesville, FL$49,856
Portsmouth, OH$49,828
Little Rock, AR$49,817
Lafayette, LA$49,795
Youngstown, OH$49,795
Daytona Beach, FL$49,762
Clarksville, TN$49,757
Pensacola, FL$49,751
Temple, TX$49,747
Hopkinsville, KY$49,586
Erie, PA$49,575
Florence, SC$49,553
Charleston, WV$49,465
Great Falls, MT$49,437
Macon, GA$49,360
Tallahassee, FL$49,355
Fayetteville, NC$49,344
Waco, TX$49,333
Helena, MT$49,294
Pine Bluff, AR$49,273
Vincennes, IN$49,206
Lubbock, TX$49,184
Alamogordo, NM$49,151
Twin Falls, ID$49,101
Rapid City, SD$49,085
Jackson, MS$48,985
Huntington, WV$48,982
Greenville, MS$48,980
Parkersburg, WV$48,924
Montgomery, AL$48,914
Wichita Falls, TX$48,859
Springfield, MO$48,859
Biloxi, MS$48,831
Monroe, LA$48,776
Johnstown, PA$48,738
Sumter, SC$48,716
Columbus, GA$48,710
Pascagoula, MS$48,605
Abilene, TX$48,605
Kingsport, TN$48,462
Albany, GA$48,462
Gulfport, MS$48,446
Alexandria, LA$48,264
Fort Smith, AR$48,126
El Paso, TX$47,977
Las Cruces, NM$47,729
Harlingen, TX$47,589
Pocatello, ID$47,581
Florence, AL$47,509
Brownsville, TX$47,498
Mcallen, TX$47,382
Dothan, AL$47,305
Columbus, MS$46,978
Altus, OK$46,721
Lawton, OK$46,616
Pierre, SD$46,418
What Skills Can Increase a Certified Welder's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Leadership (Mentioned in 11.22% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
Preventative Maintenance (Mentioned in 3.11% Job Postings): Developing and implementing maintenance strategies to increase equipment life expectancy and avoid unplanned downtime.
Pneumatics (Mentioned in 1.08% Job Postings): Pneumatics (pronounced new-MATT-ix) is an aspect of physics and engineering that is concerned with using the energy in compressed gas to make something move or work.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Certified Welder's salary.
Building Maintenance: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
Certified Welder Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Certified Welder roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 35% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Software & Networking and Energy & Utilities
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average.
In contrast, Certified Welder positions in Retail & Wholesale or Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Certified Welder as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Certified Welder
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Software & Networking
$66,115
$32.0
20%
Energy & Utilities
$63,360
$30.0
15%
Aerospace & Defense
$60,605
$29.0
10%
Healthcare
$60,605
$29.0
10%
Pharmaceuticals
$60,605
$29.0
10%
How Education impacts a Certified Welder's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Certified Welders enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree,
higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data,
the median salary for a Certified Welder with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between
$53,222
and $56,836).
Certified Welder Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Certified Welder's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Salaries for a Certified Welder can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $48,421 in 2023
to around $47,686 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Certified Welder salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Certified Welder Over Time
$???
$48,421
$47,990
$47,686
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$48,421
2024
$47,990
2025
$47,686
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Certified Welder
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Certified Welder
Here are companies hiring for Certified Welder and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
Find Your Next Certified Welder Job
Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Certified Welder job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.
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FAQ about Certified Welder
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Certified Welder?
The Software & Networking industry offers the highest average compensation for Certified Welder roles,
with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
