How Much Do Welders Make?
National median $51,000/yr ($24.52/hr)
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers earned a median wage of $51,000 a year, or $24.52 an hour, as of May 2024 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is the middle of the pack. The lowest-paid 10 percent made under $38,130 a year, while the top 10 percent made over $75,850. About 424,000 people do this work nationwide.
The spread is wide because "welder" covers everything from a new hire tacking parts in a light fab shop to a certified code welder on a refinery turnaround. Where you weld and what you can weld matter more than years alone. Industrial, energy, shipyard, aerospace, and defense work pay well above residential and light manufacturing.
The biggest pay jumps come from certifications, union scale, and travel work. A pipeline welder on the Local 798 scale runs roughly $52 to $53 an hour in base wages plus about $165 a day in per diem, and with overtime the yearly total often lands between $80,000 and $120,000. Underwater and commercial dive welders regularly clear $80,000 for the hazard. Job growth is modest at about 2 percent through 2034, but retirements keep roughly 45,600 openings coming open every year.
Pay by experience
Highest-paying paths
Local 798 NPLA scale runs about $52 to $53/hr base plus roughly $165/day per diem. With overtime, many pipeliners clear $80,000 to $120,000 a year.
Consistently the highest-paid niche. Salaries start around $80,000 and climb higher with depth, saturation work, and hazard pay.
Refineries, power plants, and shipyards pay the top-10 percent range over $75,850, well above residential and light fab shops.
60 to 70 hour weeks on plant turnarounds are where six-figure years come from. Time-and-a-half plus per diem does the heavy lifting.
Hawaii leads near a $76,970 median, followed by Alaska around $75,140. Wyoming, Louisiana, and Connecticut also run high on energy and defense demand.
Tight-tolerance TIG work on aircraft, subs, and reactors commands premium pay and steady hours for certified hands.
How to earn more
- Stack certifications. An AWS certified welder card, a 6G pipe cert, and multi-process TIG/MIG/stick skill are the fastest way past the median.
- Move from residential and light fab into industrial, energy, aerospace, or defense work where the top 10 percent lives.
- Get into a union apprenticeship. Pipefitters Local 798, Boilermakers, and Ironworkers offer scale wages plus per diem that shop jobs rarely match.
- Go where the work travels. Pipelines, plant shutdowns, and turnarounds pay per diem and heavy overtime on top of your hourly.
- Learn TIG and combo pipe welding, then add a high-value specialty like underwater welding or become a Certified Welding Inspector (CWI).
- Chase overtime, night shifts, and shutdown work. Hours at time-and-a-half are what turn a $55,000 base into a six-figure year.
See who's hiring
Browse Welder jobs with pay shown upfront, or read the full Welder career guide.
Welder pay: common questions
How much do welders make?
The median welder wage was $51,000 a year, or $24.52 an hour, as of May 2024 per the BLS. The bottom 10 percent earned under $38,130 and the top 10 percent earned over $75,850.
Do welders make good money?
Yes, especially once certified. The median of $51,000 beats many trades with no college, and industrial, pipeline, and union welders regularly pass $75,000 to $100,000 with overtime and per diem.
What is the highest paying welding job?
Underwater and commercial dive welding pays the most, often $80,000 and up. Pipeline welding on union scale is close behind, with base pay plus per diem pushing many past $100,000.
How much do welders make an hour?
The median is $24.52 an hour as of May 2024. Most welders fall between about $18 and $37 an hour, with certified pipe and combo welders at the high end.
Can you make $100k as a welder?
Yes. It usually takes a high-paying niche like pipeline, underwater, or shutdown travel work, where base pay, per diem, and heavy overtime combine. Union pipeline welders often clear $100,000 in a busy year.