Pay data / Welders
Welder Pay
& Hiring
Join and fabricate metal for manufacturing, construction, pipelines, and heavy industry. Nationally, welders earn a median of $48,940 a year, about $24 an hour, with most between $34,000 and $72,970.
Pay by experience
- Entry / Fabricator$31,800$15/hr
Shop welding and learning processes.
- Certified Welder$48,900$24/hr
AWS-certified on common processes and positions.
- Specialty / Pipe Welder$71,000$34/hr
6G pipe, TIG, and travel work.
What moves welder pay
- ·Certifications. AWS/ASME tickets for pipe, TIG, and structural work raise pay sharply.
- ·Industry. Pipeline, aerospace, and underwater welding sit far above shop fabrication.
- ·Travel and shutdown work. Rig welders and traveling shutdown crews earn the most.
- ·Position and process. 6G pipe and specialty alloys pay a premium.
Welders are certified rather than licensed, typically to AWS or ASME standards for the processes and positions they run. Certifications, not a state license, gate the higher-paying work.
Welder pay by state
AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming