What are the main factors that influence a Welder's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change A Welder's salary?

A Welder's salary grows with experience: a Welder I (0-1 years)earns $44,762, a Welder (1-3 years)earns $55,335, a Welder III (3-5 years)earns $62,403, a Welder IV (5-7 years)earns $71,192,

What are the highest paying states for a Welder?

Welder salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Welder roles are District of Columbia $61,694, California $61,460, Massachusetts $60,641. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Welder roles make?

Salaries for Welder level roles vary by specialization: Shop Welder: $72,230; Ship Welder: $57,886; Aerospace Welder: $57,554; fabrication welder: $57,379; Arc Welder: $56,837.

How do different companies affect a Welder's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Welder roles. Large, established industry leaders like C R Bard Inc ($128,509) and Henry Schein Canada ($124,697) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $82,041.

Welder Salary in the United States

How much does a Welder make in the United States?

As of April 01, 2026, the average salary for a Welder in the United States is $55,721 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $27.

However, a Welder's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

Top Earners (90th percentile): $65,743
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $50,632 to $60,967
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $46,000

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Welder Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$60,967	$5,081	$1,172	$29
Average	$55,721	$4,643	$1,072	$27
25th Percentile	$50,632	$4,219	$974	$24

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Key Factors That Influence Welder Salaries

A Welder's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Do 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 Welders. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $61,694.
California: $61,460.
Massachusetts: $60,641.

District of Columbia $61,694 California $61,460 Massachusetts $60,641 Washington $60,418 New Jersey $60,396 Alaska $60,318 Connecticut $59,549 New York $59,237

Hawaii $58,239 Rhode Island $57,771 Maryland $57,454 Minnesota $57,019 Colorado $56,852 Illinois $56,796 Oregon $56,584 Delaware $56,428

New Hampshire $56,330 Virginia $56,111 Pennsylvania $55,470 Nevada $55,147 North Dakota $55,041 Michigan $54,874 Wisconsin $54,812 Vermont $54,690

Texas $54,350 Maine $54,328 Arizona $54,294 Ohio $54,255 Georgia $53,743 Indiana $53,486 Wyoming $53,436 Utah $53,358

Iowa $53,325 Kansas $53,057 Louisiana $52,979 North Carolina $52,951 Missouri $52,940 Florida $52,723 Montana $52,606 Nebraska $52,494

Kentucky $52,433 South Carolina $52,210 Tennessee $52,071 Idaho $52,015 New Mexico $51,608 Oklahoma $51,519 Alabama $51,191 South Dakota $50,639

Arkansas $50,338 West Virginia $50,176 Mississippi $49,692

Top Paying Cities for Welders

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: $70,280
San Francisco: $69,589
Oakland: $68,046

San Jose, CA $70,280

San Francisco, CA $69,589

Oakland, CA $68,046

New York, NY $64,575

Queens Village, NY $64,157

Paramus, NJ $63,711

Passaic, NJ $63,655

Bergenfield, NJ $63,599

Stamford, CT $63,516

Huntington, NY $63,460

Newark, NJ $63,098

Bridgeport, CT $62,987

New Brunswick, NJ $62,803

Vallejo, CA $62,686

Middlesex, NJ $62,652

Somerset, NJ $62,602

Petaluma, CA $62,474

Santa Cruz, CA $62,257

Boston, MA $62,145

Monterey, CA $61,867

Fairbanks, AK $61,828

Los Angeles, CA $61,722

Washington, DC $61,694

Seattle, WA $61,594

Santa Rosa, CA $61,582

Juneau, AK $61,421

Orange, CA $61,237

Anchorage, AK $61,137

Anaheim, CA $61,098

Santa Ana, CA $61,014

Nassau, NY $60,981

Long Beach, CA $60,958

Danbury, CT $60,942

Santa Maria, CA $60,752

Everett, WA $60,741

Bremerton, WA $60,468

Trenton, NJ $60,362

Sacramento, CA $60,340

San Diego, CA $60,312

Brockton, MA $60,290

Tacoma, WA $60,267

Santa Barbara, CA $60,189

Lowell, MA $59,967

New Suffolk, NY $59,944

Nashua, NH $59,877

Lompoc, CA $59,788

Ventura, CA $59,732

Stockton, CA $59,716

New Haven, CT $59,604

Atlantic City, NJ $59,459

Hartford, CT $59,337

Modesto, CA $59,309

Poughkeepsie, NY $59,186

New Britain, CT $59,159

Olympia, WA $59,081

Kennewick, WA $59,081

New London, CT $59,069

Norwich, CT $59,053

Lawrence, MA $59,025

Bakersfield, CA $58,869

Riverside, CA $58,791

New Bedford, MA $58,791

Richland, WA $58,735

Portsmouth, NH $58,691

Vineland, NJ $58,679

San Bernardino, CA $58,635

Boulder, CO $58,479

Worcester, MA $58,434

Portland, OR $58,384

Saint Paul, MN $58,317

Minneapolis, MN $58,317

Philadelphia, PA $58,239

Honolulu, HI $57,944

Springfield, MA $57,749

Providence, RI $57,743

Chicago, IL $57,582

Bellingham, WA $57,515

Baltimore, MD $57,454

Chico, CA $57,314

Wilmington, DE $57,219

Pittsfield, MA $57,164

Manchester, NH $57,058

Spokane, WA $56,813

Denver, CO $56,807

Albany, NY $56,545

Troy, NY $56,523

Schenectady, NY $56,406

Burlington, VT $56,283

Portland, ME $56,088

Salem, OR $56,044

Yakima, WA $56,033

Ann Arbor, MI $56,016

Rochester, MN $55,860

Fresno, CA $55,832

Reno, NV $55,832

Milwaukee, WI $55,782

Detroit, MI $55,726

Allentown, PA $55,709

Carson City, NV $55,704

Houston, TX $55,620

Colorado Springs, CO $55,615

Syracuse, NY $55,587

Eugene, OR $55,481

Bismarck, ND $55,414

Gary, IN $55,414

Galveston, TX $55,414

Springfield, OR $55,370

Medford, OR $55,236

Fort Collins, CO $55,214

Austin, TX $55,169

Mesa, AZ $55,052

Phoenix, AZ $55,041

Dallas, TX $55,024

Reading, PA $54,991

Saint Cloud, MN $54,968

Concord, NH $54,918

Madison, WI $54,896

Utica, NY $54,745

Raleigh, NC $54,701

Las Vegas, NV $54,695

Rochester, NY $54,656

Des Moines, IA $54,651

Atlanta, GA $54,562

Battle Creek, MI $54,545

Salt Lake City, UT $54,528

Lancaster, PA $54,445

Champaign, IL $54,433

Harrisburg, PA $54,367

Durham, NC $54,316

Kansas City, MO $54,311

Kansas City, KS $54,300

Fort Worth, TX $54,294

Boca Raton, FL $54,272

Cleveland, OH $54,266

Columbus, OH $54,255

Pittsburgh, PA $54,250

Richmond, VA $54,227

Indianapolis, IN $54,216

Cincinnati, OH $54,144

Petersburg, VA $54,060

Billings, MT $53,938

Lansing, MI $53,938

Huntsville, AL $53,938

Lebanon, PA $53,932

Dayton, OH $53,926

Pueblo, CO $53,926

Appleton, WI $53,910

Buffalo, NY $53,887

Racine, WI $53,860

Charlotte, NC $53,854

Saint Louis, MO $53,837

Springfield, IL $53,815

Elkhart, IN $53,804

York, PA $53,804

Gastonia, NC $53,798

Benton Harbor, MI $53,798

Beaumont, TX $53,765

Lorain, OH $53,754

Toledo, OH $53,731

Binghamton, NY $53,704

Rock Hill, SC $53,698

Rockford, IL $53,670

Fargo, ND $53,642

Elyria, OH $53,642

Flagstaff, AZ $53,603

Fort Lauderdale, FL $53,570

Miami, FL $53,536

Duluth, MN $53,447

Bangor, ME $53,375

Cedar Rapids, IA $53,313

Louisville, KY $53,286

Grand Rapids, MI $53,274

Hialeah, FL $53,269

Casper, WY $53,191

Scranton, PA $53,124

New Orleans, LA $53,107

Virginia Beach, VA $53,102

Akron, OH $53,074

Peoria, IL $53,001

Sarasota, FL $52,990

Green Bay, WI $52,951

Baton Rouge, LA $52,923

Charleston, SC $52,912

Nashville, TN $52,896

Jamestown, NY $52,884

Davenport, IA $52,884

Tucson, AZ $52,857

Cheyenne, WY $52,840

Saint Petersburg, FL $52,823

Tampa, FL $52,812

Omaha, NE $52,801

Port Arthur, TX $52,779

Evansville, IN $52,779

Bradenton, FL $52,756

Santa Fe, NM $52,656

Orlando, FL $52,600

Clearwater, FL $52,539

Canton, OH $52,422

La Crosse, WI $52,422

Grand Forks, ND $52,405

Albuquerque, NM $52,389

Tulsa, OK $52,389

Newport News, VA $52,383

High Point, NC $52,366

Ogden, UT $52,344

Corpus Christi, TX $52,299

Laramie, WY $52,266

Norfolk, VA $52,266

Rock Island, IL $52,232

Saginaw, MI $52,221

Jacksonville, FL $52,216

Salisbury, NC $52,205

Memphis, TN $52,193

Moline, IL $52,166

Fort Myers, FL $52,149

Waterloo, IA $52,076

Spartanburg, SC $52,021

Lincoln, NE $51,993

Fort Wayne, IN $51,982

Birmingham, AL $51,920

Cedar Falls, IA $51,909

Provo, UT $51,904

Springfield, OH $51,898

San Antonio, TX $51,887

Greensboro, NC $51,865

South Bend, IN $51,859

Winston Salem, NC $51,854

Boise, ID $51,837

Savannah, GA $51,798

Muskegon, MI $51,698

Lima, OH $51,631

Lake Charles, LA $51,608

Anderson, IN $51,597

Lexington, KY $51,581

Augusta, GA $51,564

Greenville, SC $51,564

Wichita, KS $51,514

Tuscaloosa, AL $51,514

Columbia, SC $51,464

Bloomington, IN $51,324

Roanoke, VA $51,291

Asheville, NC $51,218

Knoxville, TN $51,124

Shreveport, LA $51,118

Wilmington, NC $51,046

Frankfort, KY $50,940

Oklahoma City, OK $50,901

Chillicothe, OH $50,878

Longview, TX $50,873

Topeka, KS $50,856

Mobile, AL $50,773

Terre Haute, IN $50,750

Erie, PA $50,745

Altoona, PA $50,717

Melbourne, FL $50,700

Amarillo, TX $50,678

Killeen, TX $50,661

Fayetteville, AR $50,617

Sioux Falls, SD $50,578

Chattanooga, TN $50,544

Idaho Falls, ID $50,539

Gainesville, FL $50,422

Portsmouth, OH $50,394

Little Rock, AR $50,383

Lynchburg, VA $50,383

Lafayette, LA $50,360

Youngstown, OH $50,360

Temple, TX $50,338

Daytona Beach, FL $50,327

Clarksville, TN $50,321

Pensacola, FL $50,316

Hopkinsville, KY $50,149

Charleston, WV $50,143

Florence, SC $50,115

Sioux City, IA $50,082

Macon, GA $49,920

Tallahassee, FL $49,915

Fayetteville, NC $49,903

Waco, TX $49,892

Wichita Falls, TX $49,892

Pine Bluff, AR $49,870

Vincennes, IN $49,764

Lubbock, TX $49,742

Great Falls, MT $49,708

Alamogordo, NM $49,703

Abilene, TX $49,658

Rapid City, SD $49,586

Monroe, LA $49,586

Albany, GA $49,552

Huntington, WV $49,547

Jackson, MS $49,541

Greenville, MS $49,536

Parkersburg, WV $49,480

Montgomery, AL $49,469

Johnstown, PA $49,458

Springfield, MO $49,413

Biloxi, MS $49,385

Sumter, SC $49,268

Columbus, GA $49,263

Twin Falls, ID $49,229

Pascagoula, MS $49,157

Kingsport, TN $49,012

Gulfport, MS $48,995

Alexandria, LA $48,811

Fort Smith, AR $48,672

El Paso, TX $48,521

Helena, MT $48,449

Las Cruces, NM $48,271

Harlingen, TX $48,115

Pocatello, ID $48,065

Florence, AL $48,048

Brownsville, TX $48,037

Dothan, AL $47,948

Mcallen, TX $47,920

Columbus, MS $47,507

Altus, OK $47,251

Lawton, OK $47,145

Pierre, SD $46,945

What Skills Can Increase a 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.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Leadership	11.22%
Preventative Maintenance	3.11%
Pneumatics	1.08%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

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 Welder's salary.

Building Maintenance: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
Analysis: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
Custodial: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Building Maintenance	$59,621	7%
Analysis	$58,507	5%
Custodial	$57,949	4%
Coaching	$57,949	4%
Confidentiality	$57,949	4%
Scheduling	$57,392	3%

Get Latest Data

How Education impacts a Welder's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many 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 Welder with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $53,222 and $56,836).

Welder Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Welder

No Diploma 80.8%

High School 80.8%

Associates 12.8%

Bachelors 5.1%

Masters 1.3%

Doctorate 0.0%

view as table

Degree Level	% of user with this level of education
No Diploma	80.8%
High School	80.8%
Associates	12.8%
Bachelors	5.1%
Masters	1.3%
Doctorate	0.0%

view as graph

Welder Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a 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.

Last Updated on April 01, 2026

$50,632

Average $55,721/year

$60,967

$4,219

Average $4,643/month

$5,081

$974

Average $1,072/week

$1,172

$24

Average $27/hour

$29

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$60,967	$5,081	$1,172	$29
Average	$55,721	$4,643	$1,072	$27
25th Percentile	$50,632	$4,219	$974	$24

Salaries of jobs related to Welder

Salary Trends for Welder

Salaries for a Welder can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $47,639 in 2023 to around $46,916 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Welder salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Welder Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$47,639

2024

$47,216

2025

$46,916

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$47,639
2024	$47,216
2025	$46,916
2026	View More
2027	View More

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

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We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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