How much do welders make in 2026? The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median wage for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers at $53,750 a year, or $25.84 an hour. That figure sits in the middle of a wide spread: entry-level hands often start well below it, while pipeline, rig, and underwater welders can clear six figures with the right certifications and overtime.
The median alone hides most of what determines a paycheck. State, metro, specialty, union status, and per diem all pull the number in different directions, sometimes by tens of thousands of dollars. A structural welder in a low-cost region and a coded pipe welder chasing shutdown work may share a job title and little else on the pay stub.
National Welder Salary Overview: Median, Hourly, and Percentile Pay
The table below shows national pay estimates for welding occupations based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for 2025. Figures are annual wages for all workers in each occupation, regardless of experience or certification. The median hourly wage uses a standard 2,080-hour work year.
| Occupation | Total Employment | Mean Annual Wage | 25th Percentile Annual Wage | Median Annual Wage | 75th Percentile Annual Wage | Median Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | 416,210 | $56,760 | $46,790 | $53,750 | $63,010 | $25.84 |
| Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 31,600 | $50,220 | $40,560 | $47,920 | $57,390 | $23.04 |
| Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Workers | 447,810 | $56,300 | $46,470 | $52,760 | $62,690 | $25.37 |
Welder Salary by State: Where Welders Earn the Most
The highest median annual wages for welders are concentrated in Alaska, Hawaii, and parts of the Northeast and West, based on the latest Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These figures cover Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers across all industries. Use the table below to compare median pay and pay ranges state by state.
| State | Employment | Mean Annual Wage | 25th Percentile | Median Annual Wage | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 790 | $80,100 | $61,280 | $80,840 | $98,500 |
| Hawaii | 520 | $77,430 | $63,030 | $79,000 | $90,830 |
| Connecticut | 1,790 | $66,800 | $49,240 | $64,880 | $81,590 |
| Wyoming | 1,850 | $67,990 | $56,380 | $63,820 | $78,890 |
| Washington | 7,720 | $66,340 | $54,740 | $63,020 | $73,650 |
| Massachusetts | 2,830 | $65,050 | $53,680 | $62,570 | $74,050 |
| New Hampshire | 1,110 | $62,900 | $50,620 | $62,360 | $74,420 |
| Louisiana | 13,690 | $63,750 | $50,680 | $62,250 | $77,310 |
| Maine | 1,690 | $61,930 | $51,800 | $62,220 | $69,130 |
| North Dakota | 2,590 | $64,880 | $54,660 | $62,000 | $72,560 |
| Nevada | 1,600 | $64,590 | $48,700 | $61,520 | $76,670 |
| Vermont | 340 | $60,210 | $51,190 | $60,890 | $65,490 |
| Maryland | 2,850 | $64,410 | $48,150 | $60,310 | $77,810 |
| Minnesota | 9,270 | $60,360 | $50,960 | $60,280 | $65,410 |
| District of Columbia | 280 | $61,620 | $50,110 | $60,180 | $75,580 |
| New Mexico | 2,390 | $63,720 | $44,750 | $59,840 | $82,550 |
| Oregon | 5,240 | $60,390 | $49,690 | $59,450 | $66,570 |
| New Jersey | 3,730 | $62,500 | $49,870 | $59,440 | $71,060 |
| Virginia | 10,100 | $60,410 | $49,020 | $59,180 | $65,400 |
| New York | 8,310 | $62,810 | $49,050 | $59,140 | $71,960 |
| Colorado | 4,970 | $60,410 | $47,860 | $58,590 | $69,540 |
| Wisconsin | 15,320 | $57,920 | $50,320 | $58,410 | $62,220 |
| Utah | 4,440 | $59,640 | $48,580 | $58,380 | $66,870 |
| California | 26,060 | $61,120 | $48,480 | $58,060 | $70,400 |
| Delaware | 600 | $58,470 | $49,830 | $57,270 | $61,630 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Welders
For welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers, the largest metro areas often anchor regional pay scales. The table below shows 2025 OEWS data for the 15 metro areas with the highest welding employment, including mean, median, and percentile annual wages. While some high-employment metros pay below the national median, others such as Baton Rouge and Minneapolis-St. Paul stand out for above-average median pay.
| Metro Area | Total Employment | Mean Annual Wage | 25th Percentile | Median Annual Wage | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 15,850 | $59,530 | $46,470 | $57,940 | $71,460 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 10,620 | $55,890 | $46,180 | $51,630 | $62,670 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 9,320 | $56,180 | $46,270 | $52,650 | $61,750 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 7,850 | $60,120 | $47,910 | $56,160 | $64,800 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 5,780 | $67,430 | $52,790 | $61,680 | $75,930 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 5,440 | $59,970 | $48,890 | $56,540 | $65,690 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 5,240 | $53,310 | $46,130 | $49,630 | $59,700 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 4,630 | $60,650 | $49,700 | $58,380 | $68,890 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 4,600 | $63,300 | $55,020 | $61,880 | $72,140 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 4,580 | $55,900 | $47,650 | $51,810 | $61,010 |
| Tulsa, OK | 4,520 | $55,540 | $47,600 | $53,550 | $61,810 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 3,810 | $57,320 | $47,830 | $52,050 | $60,850 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 3,740 | $62,000 | $49,950 | $62,670 | $71,090 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | 3,690 | $72,430 | $61,170 | $78,170 | $79,880 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 3,600 | $57,520 | $47,480 | $53,610 | $63,120 |
Salary Insight: Top-Paying Metro for Welders
In BLS 2025 metro data, Baton Rouge, LA reported the highest median annual wage for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers.
Welder Pay by Specialty: Pipe, Underwater, TIG, Structural, Rig, and Inspector
Welding pay shifts significantly by specialty, with pipeline and rig work often outpacing general fabrication roles. The table below summarizes median pay and typical ranges where reported, along with the certifications or standards tied to each path. Figures reflect 2026 survey and posting data and can vary by region, experience, and project type.
| Welding Specialty | Typical Annual Salary Range | Median Pay | Key Requirements/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pipeline welder | $68,000 to $76,000 | $71,593 | Pay varies by region, experience, and project type; experienced hands may earn $90,000 to $150,000 or more. |
| Pipe welder | $52,000 to $64,000 | $57,707 | A 6G certification and API 1104 are cited for pipeline and energy pipe-welding roles. |
| Underwater welder | $50,000 to $85,000 | N/A | The cited specialty profile lists AWS D3.6M and ADCI certification. |
| TIG welder | $45,000 to $65,000 | N/A | AWS certifications and 3 to 5 years of experience are associated with the cited certified and mid-career range. |
| Structural welder | $45,000 to $65,000 | N/A | AWS certifications and 3 to 5 years of experience are associated with the cited certified and mid-career range. |
| Rig welder | $55,000 to $85,000 | N/A | The cited profile lists API 1104 and ASME Section IX as primary codes or standards. |
| Welding inspector | $35,510 to $77,860 | $48,570 | The cited wage data falls under the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational classification for welding inspectors. |
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, underwater welding is among the highest-paying welding specialties. Commercial divers who weld underwater earn a median annual wage in the upper $60,000s, with top earners above $100,000. The work requires commercial diving certification, welding credentials, and tolerance for high-risk underwater conditions.
Welding Certifications That Boost Pay: AWS, ASME, CWI, API
A welding certification is the fastest documented way to raise your hourly rate without changing jobs. National surveys from 2026 show a real, if inconsistent, premium attached to each major credential, and the size of that premium depends heavily on which certification you hold and what kind of welding jobs it qualifies you to do.
AWS Certified Welder: the entry-level premium
Holding an AWS Certified Welder credential typically adds $5 to $10 an hour over uncertified pay, pushing certified welders into the $30 to $40 an hour range on some surveys,1 while other 2026 data puts certified welders at $24 to $31 an hour, roughly 30 percent above non-certified peers, or $10,000 to $15,000 more per year.2 Entry-level certified welders in general fabrication are reported at $40,000 to $55,000 a year. In Florida specifically, one source found that upgrading an uncertified entry welder to AWS Certified Welder status added about $12,900 a year, with AWS-certified pay landing between $47,000 and $61,000.4 For comparison, entry-level uncertified welders nationally sit around $51,000 a year,2 and the broader welder median runs $50,000 to $60,000.
ASME Section IX and CWI: bigger jumps into specialized work
ASME Section IX qualification qualifies welders for industrial, petrochemical, refinery, and power-generation work, where pay runs $38 to $55 an hour, compared to $18 to $26 an hour for uncertified welders in general fabrication.5 That is a spread of roughly $12 to $29 an hour, though the exact gain depends on which baseline you're moving from.
The Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) credential tends to produce the largest jump because it moves a welder out of production and into quality control. CWI-credentialed workers are reported earning $35 to $55 an hour, or $80,000 to $105,000 a year in some listings,5 with the shift from production welding to QA typically adding $25,000 to $50,000 annually depending on industry and location.2
API 1104 and pipeline pay
API 1104 is the standard credential for pipeline welders and rarely appears in isolation. Welders who pair AWS 6G qualification with API 1104 report total pay of $60,000 to $150,000 a year, versus $40,000 to $65,000 for general production welders, a premium of roughly $20,000 to $85,000. That gap reflects the whole pipeline job stack, not the API credential alone.
What determines your actual number
A certified welder's pay is never fixed. Employer, region, industry demand, and specialty all move the number, sometimes more than the credential itself. Treat these figures as ranges to negotiate from, not guarantees.
Entry-Level Welder Salary: Apprentice and First-Year Wage Progression
Apprenticeship pay in welding is shifting away from rigid year-by-year tables toward percentage-based scales tied to journeyman wages, which makes shopping for a program more important than ever. There is no single national Department of Labor ladder that every apprentice follows. Instead, most Apprenticeship Programs set starting pay as a percentage of the local journeyman rate and raise it as hours and skills accumulate.
What First-Year Welders Actually Earn
As of 2026, entry-level welders nationally average around $45,300 a year, or about $22 an hour, with most falling between $39,000 and $51,500. Some trade-school and industry summaries put the realistic entry band a bit wider, from $30,000 to $45,000, depending on region and shop type. Structural and shop welders often start lower, in the $35,000 to $40,000 range, before climbing toward $45,000 to $55,000 with a few years of seasoning.
How Pay Climbs Through Apprenticeship
Most formal apprenticeships run three to five years, and welders typically reach journeyman status somewhere in the two-to-five-year window depending on the program and specialty. A common pattern looks like this:
- Year one: roughly $38,000 to $46,000 annually, or about $18 to $24 an hour, often 40 to 60 percent of journeyman scale.
- Years one to three: average climbs toward $56,000, with hourly pay commonly landing between $22 and $28.
- Years three to five: pay approaches $63,000 on average as welders pursue Welder Certifications, sometimes $58,000 to $75,000 at the high end.
- Combination welders: some apprenticeships start these specialists at 60 percent of journeyman pay, ahead of the general 40-to-60-percent entry band.
Journeyman welders nationally tend to land between $58,000 and $75,000 a year, or $28 to $36 an hour. Shipyard journeymen often run higher, $29 to $41 an hour, reflecting the physical and technical demands of shipyard welding. Union apprenticeships, through groups like the Ironworkers, UA Pipefitters, or Boilermakers, frequently start between $18 and $30 an hour and graduate apprentices to $35 to $55 an hour with full benefits once they reach journeyman status.
Why Location and Industry Matter
These figures are national benchmarks, not guarantees. Entry-level pay swings noticeably by state, metro area, and industry, points covered in the state and metro sections above. A first-year welder in a high-demand oil and gas region will likely out-earn a counterpart in general fabrication, even at the same experience level.
Overtime's Early Impact
Overtime can meaningfully boost first-year and early-apprentice income before base pay itself rises. Welders working extended shifts, weekend call-ins, or shutdown jobs often add thousands to their annual take-home well before they hit journeyman wages, making overtime availability worth weighing alongside the posted hourly rate.
Union vs Nonunion Welder Pay and Prevailing Wage Rates
Union welder pay is most usefully read as a total package: base wage plus health, pension, and fringe contributions. Nonunion benchmarks are more often published as cash wages only, which can understate the real compensation gap. In major U.S. markets, union scale has been reported at 25% to 50% above nonunion pay, with the widest differences in pipeline and construction trades.
| Factor | Union welder | Nonunion welder |
|---|---|---|
| Major market total package | $38 to $65 per hour total package rate, including wages and benefit contributions, across major U.S. markets in 2026. | Not published as one dollar rate. Reported union scale runs 25% to 50% above nonunion wages in the same major markets. |
| Pipeline and high-end construction pay | UA Local 798 pipeline welders: $54.20 per hour base pay with a package value of roughly $38 per hour, totaling more than $92 per hour. | U.S. construction welders: $32.85 per hour median, $41.20 at the 75th percentile, $54.80 at the 90th percentile. |
| General hourly benchmarks | South Dakota Davis-Bacon bridge welder: $34.96 per hour base plus $8.36 per hour fringe. Southeastern carpenters local welder: $31.39 per hour. | U.S. nonunion welders: approximately $26.37 per hour average. Nonunion structural welders: approximately $24.39 per hour average. |
| Annual earnings profile | No national union annual median is published, but major market package rates reach $65 per hour and pipeline packages exceed $92 per hour. | Majority annual range is $47,000 to $63,500, with the 90th percentile around $70,000. Manufacturing welder median is $51,210. |
| Prevailing wage and premium rules | Oregon project wage rates pay welders a 5% premium per hour on the journeyman group wage with an 8-hour minimum. South Dakota Davis-Bacon bridge welder has $8.36 per hour fringe on top of $34.96 base. | Federal Davis-Bacon rules do not publish a standalone welder rate; welders are paid the craft rate for the operation to which welding is incidental. |
Overtime, per Diem, and Travel Welder Compensation
How much does overtime and per diem actually add to a welder's paycheck? On travel and shutdown work, the premiums and allowances frequently rival the base wage itself, which is why two welders with the same hourly rate can finish the year tens of thousands of dollars apart.
How Overtime Works on Welding Jobs
Time-and-a-half is the standard premium. Most postings on welder job boards and union agreements pay 1.5x the base rate after 40 hours in a week, and some union-style jobline listings trigger it earlier: after 10 hours in a single day or 40 in a week, whichever comes first. One ironworker jobline listing pairs a journeyman base rate of $47.01 per hour with overtime at 1.5x under exactly that daily-or-weekly rule.
Double-time exists but is assignment-specific, not a default. Some travel-welding postings (a Michigan listing anticipating $45.00 to $50.00 per hour, for example) specify overtime past 40 hours plus double-time on Sundays. Other contracts extend double-time to weekends or holidays. Read the posting; never assume it.
The volume matters more than the multiplier. Travel and pipeline crews routinely run 50 to 60+ hours a week. One traveling pipeline welder posting lists $39.72 to $55.08 per hour with roughly 40% average weekly overtime. At a steady 50-hour week with time-and-a-half, gross pay runs about 25% above a straight 40-hour year, and heavier schedules push that higher still. Pipeline welders commonly land in the $80,000 to $150,000+ range annually, with $20,000 to $50,000 of that coming from overtime and premiums rather than base wage.
What Per Diem Is and Why It Matters
Per diem is a daily allowance covering lodging and meals when a job takes you away from home. It is paid on top of wages, and when it falls within IRS substantiated limits it is generally not treated as taxable income, so a per diem dollar is worth more in your pocket than a wage dollar.
- Typical range: Roughly $75 to $180 per day, with many postings, including welding jobs on indeed, clustered around $100 to $150.
- Low end: One jobline listing pays $75 per day worked for travelers only.
- High end: Some assignments reach $210 per day, and specialized per-diem flux-core postings have advertised $200 to $400 per day.
- Full-package jobs: Certain metro assignments, including New York City work, cover transportation and lodging on top of the daily allowance.
A $125 per diem across 250 worked days is over $31,000, largely untaxed. Verify how your employer reports it, confirm whether it is paid on non-worked days, and check the reimbursement schedule before you commit to a run.
Welder Pay by Industry: Shipbuilding, Construction, Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, Aerospace
Pay varies widely by industry because welders in shipyards, construction sites, and aerospace facilities face different demand, certification requirements, and working conditions. The table below shows median annual wages and typical salary ranges where reported. Figures reflect U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and recent industry wage reports for 2023 through 2026.
| Industry | Median Annual Salary | Typical Salary Range |
|---|---|---|
| Ship and boat building | $57,870 | N/A |
| Shipbuilding and ship repair | N/A | $60,000 to $82,000 |
| Structural and ironwork construction | N/A | $57,000 to $82,000 |
| Aerospace and defense | $61,324 | N/A |
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Frequently Asked Questions About Welder Salary
Quick answers to the salary questions readers ask most. Figures reflect the latest federal data and 2026 private salary estimates, and individual pay will vary by location, industry, overtime, and certification.
- How much money do welders make a year?
- According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers was $53,750 as of May 2025. The lowest 10 percent earned about $39,240, while the top 10 percent earned about $77,530. Private 2026 estimates put the average slightly higher, near $55,749, but location and overtime shift the number.
- How much does a welder make an hour?
- The median hourly rate was $25.84 in May 2025 federal data. 2026 private estimates cluster close to that, with an average near $27 per hour and entry-level averages closer to $22 per hour. Overtime, shift differentials, and per diem can push real weekly earnings well above the base rate.
- What is the highest paying welding job?
- There is no single official highest-paying welding job, because pay depends on specialty, certification, location, travel, and working conditions. Underwater welder salary estimates for saturation work run from $100,000 to more than $300,000 per year, combining commercial diving with welding.1 Nuclear welding is often cited around $115,000.1 Experienced pipeline welders can earn $90,000 to $150,000 or more.2
- How much do certified welders make?
- The federal government does not publish a separate national salary for certified welders. The closest official benchmark is the broader welder median of $53,750 per year, or $25.84 per hour. In 2026 private estimates, certified welder pay averages about $49,074, with many certified welding roles ranging from $40,000 to $65,000 depending on position, region, and welding certification requirements.
- How much do entry-level welders make?
- Entry-level pay varies widely. Federal data shows the bottom 10 percent of welders made about $39,240 per year as of May 2025. Recent 2026 estimates for entry-level welders run about $30,000 to $46,000 per year, or roughly $14 to $22 per hour, with apprentice and helper roles at the lower end.