How much do welders make
The national number
Welders earn a median of $53,750 a year, according to BLS OEWS, May 2025 wage data for the Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers occupation. That is the midpoint: half of welders BLS tracks earn more, half earn less. BLS names this figure directly, and it is the baseline for every other number in this article.
What that looks like per hour
BLS publishes its own median hourly figure directly, not only the annual one: $25.84 an hour. That is close to, but not identical to, the $25.84 a simple full-time annual-to-hourly conversion (2,080 hours a year: 40 hours a week, 52 weeks) would imply, since BLS calculates its published hourly and annual medians separately from its wage-survey data rather than deriving one from the other.
Actual hourly pay varies with overtime, shift differentials, and per diem on travel jobs, none of which are captured in the median figures above. A welder working significant overtime can earn more than the median implies; a welder working part-time or seasonal hours can earn less.
What BLS says drives the number
BLS projects about 45,600 annual openings from 2024 to 2034, with 2% employment growth, a rate BLS describes as slower than average. BLS attributes most of that growth figure to the need to replace welders who leave the occupation or retire, rather than to new positions being created. That framing matters for pay: openings driven by replacement tend to track existing wage structures more than a fast-growing occupation would.
How welder pay compares to nearby trades
Placed next to the other skilled trades welders' work most often overlaps with, welding sits toward the lower end on the national median, though every trade below shares welding's "steady, replacement-driven demand" pattern rather than fast growth.
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers & Brazers | $53,750 |
| Electricians | $63,190 |
| Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters | $63,800 |
| HVAC Mechanics & Installers | $61,010 |
| Carpenters | $60,580 |
| Machinists | $58,750 |
What actually moves an individual welder's pay
Two factors show up consistently in BLS and industry sources as pay drivers, though neither comes with a specific published dollar amount.
Certification level. AWS's Certified Welder (CW) credential is a performance-only test: no required course, no prerequisites, and a six-month recertification cycle. It demonstrates a baseline skill level. Above that sits the Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) credential, a distinct career-advancement path that requires documented experience and passing AWS's exam. Employers also cite code-specific qualifications directly in job postings, including D1.1 for structural steel, D1.2 for aluminum, D1.3 for sheet steel, D1.5 for bridge welding, D1.6 for stainless steel, and D1.8 as a seismic supplement. These D-series qualifications are typically earned by passing an employer-administered test to that code's procedure, not issued by AWS to the individual the way CW and CWI are.
Process and industry specialization. BLS names industry sector, for example manufacturing, as a factor in where welders work and what they're paid. Specializing in a process or code that a given industry depends on, such as structural steel work qualified to D1.1, positions a welder for the kind of job that industry is hiring for. Neither BLS nor our data supports a specific dollar premium per certification, so none is claimed here.
Start with the certification codex for a full breakdown of what each credential and code covers, or go straight to the D1.1 structural steel page to see what that qualification involves.
What isn't captured in BLS's number
BLS's occupational wage data is a national median across the whole welding occupation. It does not break out pay by specific certification, by employer, or by niche specialty such as underwater welding, which combines commercial diving credentials with welding certification and is not tracked as its own BLS category. Location also matters: BLS publishes separate state and metro-level wage data for readers who want a figure specific to their region rather than the national number used here.
How training cost factors into the pay picture
Pay is only half the equation for someone deciding whether to enter welding. The other half is what training costs before that first paycheck. Across the 938 programs in our directory, public programs report a median in-state tuition of $4,265 a year, based on 651 programs reporting a per-year figure. Private for-profit programs report a median total program cost of $21,228, based on 70 programs reporting a program-total figure, and private nonprofit programs report a median total program cost of $16,375, based on 9 programs.
Those figures differ by control type because public and private for-profit programs tend to report tuition on different bases, one per year, the other as a total program cost, so a direct dollar-for-dollar comparison between a public and a private for-profit program requires checking which basis each program uses. Across all 938 programs combined, the median in-state-style tuition is $4,343 and the median program-total tuition is $9,150. Browse the national program directory to see programs by state and cost.
How financial aid fits in
Financial aid for welding programs generally falls into a few categories: federal financial aid, state workforce grants, and employer tuition assistance. If a reader is a veteran considering benefits toward welding training, the accurate move is to check current eligibility and benefit amounts directly at va.gov, since eligibility rules and amounts aren't something this article states or estimates.
FAQ
How much do welders make an hour?
BLS publishes its own median hourly figure directly: $25.84 an hour (BLS OEWS, May 2025), close to but not identical to the $25.84 a simple annual-to-hourly conversion would imply.
Does getting AWS certified increase pay?
Certification level is named by BLS and industry sources as a pay factor, but no specific dollar increase per credential is published. The AWS CW credential establishes a baseline; code-specific qualifications like D1.1 are what employers cite directly in job postings.
What's the difference between CW, CWI, and a D-series code like D1.1?
CW is a performance-only entry credential with a six-month recertification cycle. CWI is a separate, more advanced credential requiring documented experience and a passing exam score. D-series codes like D1.1 are qualifications an employer tests a welder against, not certifications AWS issues directly to the individual.
Is welder pay expected to grow?
BLS projects 2% employment growth for welders from 2024 to 2034, which BLS calls slower than average, with most annual openings coming from workers leaving the occupation rather than new job creation.