Pay by state · 54 areas

Welder Salary by State (2026)

Name: Welder annual wages by US state, May 2025
Creator: NueCareer
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers earn the most in Alaska at $80,840 a year and the least in Arkansas at $47,970 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $53,750. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.

Highest median: $80,840Alaska
National median: $53,750BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lowest median: $47,970Arkansas
Areas reporting: 54of 54 OEWS areas

Top and bottom

Highest- and lowest-paying states for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers

Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.

Highest median pay

1Alaska$80,840
2Hawaii$79,000
3Connecticut$64,880
4Wyoming$63,820
5Washington$63,020

Lowest median pay

1Arkansas$47,970
2Tennessee$48,040
3Georgia$48,430
4Alabama$48,490
5West Virginia$48,810

All states

Welder salary in every state

Sort by any column. Employment is the number of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.

Annual wages by state, sortable by median, quartiles, employment and cost-of-living adjusted median
#
1	AKAlaska	$80,840	$61,280	$98,500	790	$78,977
2	HIHawaii	$79,000	$63,030	$90,830	520	$71,850
3	CTConnecticut	$64,880	$49,240	$81,590	1,790	$62,619
4	WYWyoming	$63,820	$56,380	$78,890	1,850	$68,852
5	WAWashington	$63,020	$54,740	$73,650	7,720	$58,890
6	MAMassachusetts	$62,570	$53,680	$74,050	2,830	$59,164
7	NHNew Hampshire	$62,360	$50,620	$74,420	1,110	$59,867
8	LALouisiana	$62,250	$50,680	$77,310	13,690	$70,573
9	MEMaine	$62,220	$51,800	$69,130	1,690	$64,111
10	NDNorth Dakota	$62,000	$54,660	$72,560	2,590	$69,695
11	NVNevada	$61,520	$48,700	$76,670	1,600	$61,533
12	VTVermont	$60,890	$51,190	$65,490	340	$62,159
13	MDMaryland	$60,310	$48,150	$77,810	2,850	$57,461
14	MNMinnesota	$60,280	$50,960	$65,410	9,270	$61,123
15	DCDistrict of Columbia	$60,180	$50,110	$75,580	280	$54,758
16	NMNew Mexico	$59,840	$44,750	$82,550	2,390	$64,894
17	OROregon	$59,450	$49,690	$66,570	5,240	$57,517
18	NJNew Jersey	$59,440	$49,870	$71,060	3,730	$54,630
19	VAVirginia	$59,180	$49,020	$65,400	10,100	$58,534
20	NYNew York	$59,140	$49,050	$71,960	8,310	$54,799
21	COColorado	$58,590	$47,860	$69,540	4,970	$56,855
22	WIWisconsin	$58,410	$50,320	$62,220	15,320	$62,076
23	UTUtah	$58,380	$48,580	$66,870	4,440	$59,051
24	CACalifornia	$58,060	$48,480	$70,400	26,060	$52,439
25	DEDelaware	$57,270	$49,830	$61,630	600	$57,380
26	MTMontana	$55,610	$47,590	$63,520	1,530	$58,756
27	AZArizona	$55,600	$48,000	$65,660	7,270	$55,226
28	IAIowa	$55,090	$48,250	$60,200	9,270	$62,772
29	TXTexas	$53,340	$45,750	$64,770	52,000	$54,957
30	PAPennsylvania	$52,900	$47,240	$61,920	17,850	$54,216
31	NENebraska	$52,220	$47,830	$61,810	4,200	$57,956
32	MOMissouri	$51,950	$45,930	$61,660	10,600	$57,203
33	KYKentucky	$51,470	$46,380	$59,900	6,630	$57,088
34	ILIllinois	$51,320	$46,500	$61,520	16,260	$51,342
35	MSMississippi	$51,100	$41,000	$63,440	6,460	$58,767
36	FLFlorida	$50,640	$46,460	$60,600	16,420	$48,968
37	NCNorth Carolina	$50,590	$45,400	$60,870	11,750	$53,633
38	RIRhode Island	$50,580	$50,580	$68,260	2,300	$49,452
39	IDIdaho	$50,530	$46,120	$59,350	3,300	$52,914
40	OHOhio	$50,340	$45,750	$59,510	20,330	$54,261
41	MIMichigan	$49,990	$46,520	$59,190	13,330	$51,955
42	SCSouth Carolina	$49,980	$45,230	$58,370	7,380	$53,313
43	INIndiana	$49,730	$45,620	$60,710	13,280	$53,285
44	OKOklahoma	$49,720	$44,920	$60,790	9,960	$56,601
45	SDSouth Dakota	$49,440	$45,710	$59,360	3,250	$55,810
46	KSKansas	$49,410	$45,210	$59,200	6,370	$54,859
47	WVWest Virginia	$48,810	$39,900	$60,170	2,100	$54,538
48	ALAlabama	$48,490	$40,080	$60,120	12,450	$54,592
49	GAGeorgia	$48,430	$44,150	$58,240	13,130	$50,294
50	TNTennessee	$48,040	$41,600	$57,450	12,510	$52,291
51	ARArkansas	$47,970	$42,950	$55,280	6,150	$55,178
52	VIU.S. Virgin Islands	$46,270	$45,090	$72,170	60	N/A
53	GUGuam	$40,600	$40,520	$44,580	360	N/A
54	PRPuerto Rico	$30,220	$27,660	$33,840	1,680	N/A

Method

How the cost-of-living adjustment works

The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.

For welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers, the adjustment does not change the leader: Alaska is first on raw pay and still first once prices are taken into account, at $78,977.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.

Questions

Welder pay by state: FAQ

Which state pays welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers the most?

Alaska reports the highest median wage for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers at $80,840 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Hawaii ($79,000) and Connecticut ($64,880).

Which state pays welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers the least?

Among the 50 states and DC, Arkansas reports the lowest median for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers at $47,970 a year, $32,870 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $46,270, Guam reports $40,600 and Puerto Rico reports $30,220.

Is the highest-paying state the best for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers after cost of living?

Yes. Alaska stays first after dividing each state median by its BEA Regional Price Parity, at $78,977 in national-average dollars from a raw $80,840. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.

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