2027 Salary Guide · Skilled Trades
Welders, cutters, solderers and brazers earned a median of $53,750 in May 2025, or $25.84 an hour, according to BLS; at current wage growth that is about $57,000 for 2027. BLS expects slow growth, but about 40,300 openings a year as experienced welders retire or leave. Pay depends heavily on the setting: factory welders earn less at the median than welders working for construction trade contractors.
Outlook
BLS projects 2% employment growth from 2025 to 2035, slower than average, for a workforce of about 437,700. BLS says aging infrastructure will need welders while automation in manufacturing may limit demand. Most of the 40,300 openings a year come from replacing workers who leave.
BLS Employment Projections via O*NET OnLine. Projections cover Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers as a whole.
By industry
BLS median pay for welders in the industries that employ the most of them, May 2025. Most welders work in manufacturing, the lowest-paying of the three.
| Industry | Median pay, May 2025 | Share of welders |
|---|---|---|
| Specialty trade contractors | $59,440 | 8% |
| Repair and maintenance | $56,080 | 4% |
| Manufacturing | $51,210 | 63% |
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers. About 4% of welders are self-employed; BLS does not publish a wage for them. Contractor work pays about $8,200 more than manufacturing at the median.
Pay distribution
BLS reports welders together with cutters, solderers and brazers. The national bottom tenth earned under $39,240 a year ($18.87 an hour) and the top tenth more than $77,530 ($37.28 an hour). The top tenth earns about twice what the bottom tenth does.
Typical for the Welder title: $46,790 to $63,010 (25th to 75th percentile of Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers)
| Percentile | BLS, May 2025 | 2027 planning estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,240 | $41,500 |
| 25th percentile | $46,790 | $49,500 |
| Median | $53,750 | $57,000 |
| 75th percentile | $63,010 | $67,000 |
| 90th percentile | $77,530 | $82,500 |
Career path
These stages are mapped to the BLS percentiles in hourly terms as a planning guide. BLS does not report pay by experience.
About $18.87 to $22.50 an hour (10th to 25th percentile)
BLS says employers often prefer a high school diploma plus technical training from a high school program, community college, vocational school or the military. Even trained welders get several months of on-the-job instruction.
About $22.50 to $30.29 an hour (25th to 75th percentile)
Works from blueprints and welding specs, sets up equipment and inspects welds. Holding a certification the employer uses moves welders up this band.
About $30.29 to $37.28+ an hour (75th to 90th percentile)
Lays out and fits assemblies, handles code work or leads a crew. Some move on to inspection or supervision.
Local pay
Hartford has the highest median among the 29 metros, $75,040, from a small workforce of about 670. Seattle ($66,240), the Bay Area ($64,320) and Boston ($63,770) follow. Houston has the largest welding workforce, about 15,850, nearly twice its share of national jobs, at $57,940. Nashville ($49,460) and Atlanta ($49,630) have the lowest medians.
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartford | $75,040 +40% | $46,490 – $89,230 | 670 |
| Seattle | $66,240 +23% | $50,270 – $89,630 | 3,230 |
| San Francisco Bay Area | $64,320 +20% | $48,010 – $99,930 | 1,990 |
| Boston | $63,770 +19% | $49,030 – $83,430 | 2,210 |
| San Diego | $62,560 +16% | $46,700 – $82,470 | 2,940 |
| Portland | $62,050 +15% | $48,050 – $83,940 | 3,300 |
| Baltimore | $61,920 +15% | $43,300 – $95,280 | 1,290 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | $61,880 +15% | $48,350 – $76,650 | 4,600 |
| New York City | $61,680 +15% | $44,890 – $95,920 | 5,780 |
| Washington, DC | $60,670 +13% | $45,150 – $114,440 | 2,000 |
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | $59,390 +10% | $45,730 – $77,580 | 550 |
| Austin | $59,040 +10% | $39,420 – $76,060 | 2,210 |
| Denver | $58,890 +10% | $45,060 – $79,700 | 1,990 |
| Philadelphia | $58,380 +9% | $44,430 – $79,960 | 4,630 |
| Houston | $57,940 +8% | $38,480 – $81,940 | 15,850 |
| Raleigh | $56,940 +6% | $40,460 – $71,800 | 1,090 |
| Phoenix | $56,540 +5% | $43,760 – $81,290 | 5,440 |
| Los Angeles | $56,160 +4% | $44,530 – $79,870 | 7,850 |
| Charlotte | $56,070 +4% | $41,060 – $75,910 | 3,370 |
| Buffalo | $55,420 +3% | $41,880 – $74,110 | 970 |
| Miami | $54,590 +2% | $40,800 – $74,600 | 3,510 |
| Pittsburgh | $53,610 +-0% | $43,280 – $75,780 | 3,600 |
| Providence | $52,800 -2% | $35,580 – $81,000 | 2,490 |
| Chicago | $52,650 -2% | $39,130 – $74,450 | 9,320 |
| Detroit | $51,810 -4% | $39,000 – $75,760 | 4,580 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $51,630 -4% | $39,210 – $76,920 | 10,620 |
| Tampa | $49,930 -7% | $39,890 – $67,360 | 2,520 |
| Atlanta | $49,630 -8% | $39,100 – $69,300 | 5,240 |
| Nashville | $49,460 -8% | $40,220 – $68,490 | 2,590 |
BLS metro estimates, May 2025. Percent compares the metro median with the national median. "Jobs" is BLS estimated employment in the metro; blank where BLS does not publish it.
What moves pay
BLS does not publish pay by process or certification, but these factors are what employers screen for in higher-paid welding jobs.
O*NET sample titles include MIG and TIG welders, and its task list includes welding aluminum, stainless steel and cast iron. Welders who can run several processes on several metals qualify for more jobs.
O*NET lists welding in flat, vertical and overhead positions. Passing position tests, especially overhead, opens structural and pipe work.
BLS says some employers require general or specific certification and may pay for the training and testing. Certifications are tied to particular codes, so the one an employer asks for depends on the work.
BLS notes many manufacturers run two or three 8- to 12-hour shifts and some welders work more than 40 hours a week. Night-shift differentials and overtime raise total pay above the hourly base.
Compare
Plumbers and electricians earn about $10,000 more at the median. Welders out-earn CNC machinists and general maintenance and repair workers.
| Role | BLS median | 2027 estimate | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welder | $53,750 | $57,000 | Slower than average |
| Plumber | $63,800 | $68,000 | Much faster than average |
| CNC Machinist | $50,690 | $54,000 | Decline |
| Maintenance Technician | $49,590 | $52,500 | Average |
| Electrician | $63,190 | $67,000 | Much faster than average |
FAQ
The BLS median for welders, cutters, solderers and brazers was $53,750 a year in May 2025, or $25.84 an hour. The middle half earned between $46,790 and $63,010. With two years of wage growth at 3.1% a year, the 2027 planning median is about $57,000.
The national median was $25.84 an hour in May 2025, according to BLS data published on O*NET. The bottom tenth earned under $18.87 an hour and the top tenth more than $37.28. Overtime and shift differentials, common in manufacturing, raise total earnings above these base rates.
New-welder pay has no BLS figure of its own. The 10th percentile, $39,240 a year or $18.87 an hour, and the 25th percentile, $46,790 or $22.50 an hour, are reasonable reference points for new welders. Welders with technical school training or a certification usually start toward the higher end.
Hartford welders had the highest median of the 29 metros in May 2025, $75,040, followed by Seattle ($66,240), the San Francisco Bay Area ($64,320) and Boston ($63,770). Nashville and Atlanta had the lowest, just under $50,000.
BLS projects slower than average growth, 2% from 2025 to 2035, partly because automation may limit demand in manufacturing. Even so, BLS expects about 40,300 openings a year, mostly to replace welders who retire or leave, and aging infrastructure will keep skilled welders in demand.
Careerscape recruiters who specialize in manufacturing and skilled trades send pre-screened candidates for direct hire, contract or temporary staffing. Welders can browse open jobs for free.
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