Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers pay in the U.S.
$56,760avg. a year
$27.29 an hour · 416,210 employed
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in the U.S. earn an average of $56,760 a year and a median of $53,750. Pay is highest in Alaska ($80,100) and lowest in Arkansas ($50,020).
$53,750Median pay
$27.29Average hourly
+22%Avg. pay since 2020
416,210Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1790 jobs
Alaska
$80,100
$38.51 an hour
2520 jobs
Hawaii
$77,430
$37.23 an hour
31,850 jobs
Wyoming
$67,990
$32.69 an hour
41,790 jobs
Connecticut
$66,800
$32.12 an hour
57,720 jobs
Washington
$66,340
$31.89 an hour
62,830 jobs
Massachusetts
$65,050
$31.28 an hour
72,590 jobs
North Dakota
$64,880
$31.19 an hour
81,600 jobs
Nevada
$64,590
$31.05 an hour
92,850 jobs
Maryland
$64,410
$30.97 an hour
1013,690 jobs
Louisiana
$63,750
$30.65 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $54k$54k–$58k$58k–$63k$63k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $79,390 | $38.17 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $76,990 | $37.02 |
| Anchorage, AK | $74,000 | $35.58 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $72,430 | $34.82 |
| Lima, OH | $70,930 | $34.10 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $70,830 | $34.06 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $70,680 | $33.98 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $69,720 | $33.52 |
Related jobs
- Machinists$59,320
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,430
- Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,960
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$50,030
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,170
- Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,480
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $51,120 | $48,490 | 12,450 |
| Alaska | $80,100 | $80,840 | 790 |
| Arizona | $59,040 | $55,600 | 7,270 |
| Arkansas | $50,020 | $47,970 | 6,150 |
| California | $61,120 | $58,060 | 26,060 |
| Colorado | $60,410 | $58,590 | 4,970 |
| Connecticut | $66,800 | $64,880 | 1,790 |
| Delaware | $58,470 | $57,270 | 600 |
| District of Columbia | $61,620 | $60,180 | 280 |
| Florida | $54,030 | $50,640 | 16,420 |
| Georgia | $51,520 | $48,430 | 13,130 |
| Hawaii | $77,430 | $79,000 | 520 |
| Idaho | $54,290 | $50,530 | 3,300 |
| Illinois | $55,930 | $51,320 | 16,260 |
| Indiana | $54,220 | $49,730 | 13,280 |
| Iowa | $55,580 | $55,090 | 9,270 |
| Kansas | $52,780 | $49,410 | 6,370 |
| Kentucky | $53,710 | $51,470 | 6,630 |
| Louisiana | $63,750 | $62,250 | 13,690 |
| Maine | $61,930 | $62,220 | 1,690 |
| Maryland | $64,410 | $60,310 | 2,850 |
| Massachusetts | $65,050 | $62,570 | 2,830 |
| Michigan | $53,820 | $49,990 | 13,330 |
| Minnesota | $60,360 | $60,280 | 9,270 |
| Mississippi | $52,930 | $51,100 | 6,460 |
| Missouri | $55,470 | $51,950 | 10,600 |
| Montana | $58,680 | $55,610 | 1,530 |
| Nebraska | $55,290 | $52,220 | 4,200 |
| Nevada | $64,590 | $61,520 | 1,600 |
| New Hampshire | $62,900 | $62,360 | 1,110 |
| New Jersey | $62,500 | $59,440 | 3,730 |
| New Mexico | $63,720 | $59,840 | 2,390 |
| New York | $62,810 | $59,140 | 8,310 |
| North Carolina | $53,720 | $50,590 | 11,750 |
| North Dakota | $64,880 | $62,000 | 2,590 |
| Ohio | $53,370 | $50,340 | 20,330 |
| Oklahoma | $52,860 | $49,720 | 9,960 |
| Oregon | $60,390 | $59,450 | 5,240 |
| Pennsylvania | $56,300 | $52,900 | 17,850 |
| Rhode Island | $58,180 | $50,580 | 2,300 |
| South Carolina | $52,120 | $49,980 | 7,380 |
| South Dakota | $51,980 | $49,440 | 3,250 |
| Tennessee | $50,450 | $48,040 | 12,510 |
| Texas | $56,940 | $53,340 | 52,000 |
| Utah | $59,640 | $58,380 | 4,440 |
| Vermont | $60,210 | $60,890 | 340 |
| Virginia | $60,410 | $59,180 | 10,100 |
| Washington | $66,340 | $63,020 | 7,720 |
| West Virginia | $53,350 | $48,810 | 2,100 |
| Wisconsin | $57,920 | $58,410 | 15,320 |
| Wyoming | $67,990 | $63,820 | 1,850 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$59,530
15,850 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$55,890
10,620 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$56,180
9,320 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$60,120
7,850 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$67,430
5,780 jobsPhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ$59,970
5,440 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$53,310
5,240 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$60,650
4,630 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers make?
The average is $56,760 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $53,750 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $27.29, and the median is $25.84 an hour.
Which state pays welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers the most?
Alaska, with an average of $80,100 a year. The best-paying metro area is Urban Honolulu, HI at $79,390.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $39,240 a year, and the top 10% earn over $77,530.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 51-4121. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.