How much does a Welder make?

Updated Sep 23, 2023

Experience

Industry

$47,503 / yrTotal Pay
$45,697 / yrBase Pay
$1,807 / yrAdditional Pay

$47,503

 / yr
$36K$62K
Most Likely Range
Possible Range

The estimated total pay for a Welder is $47,503 per year in the United States area, with an average salary of $45,697 per year. These numbers represent the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated additional pay is $1,807 per year. Additional pay could include cash bonus, commission, tips, and profit sharing. The "Most Likely Range" represents values that exist within the 25th and 75th percentile of all pay data available for this role.

How accurate does $47,503 look to you?

Your input helps Glassdoor refine our pay estimates over time.

Total Pay Trajectory

For Welder

$47,503 /yr
Welder
$63,098 /yr
Senior Welder
$50,324 /yr
Lead Welder
See Full Career Path

Download as data table

What is the total pay trajectory for Welder?

Job TitleSalary
Welder$47,503 /yr
Senior Welder$63,098 /yr
Lead Welder$50,324 /yr

Top Paying Companies

For a Welder in United States

Below is the total pay for the top 10 highest paying companies for a Welder in United States. Employers include BNSF Railway, SpaceX and Cameron.

1
BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
$57,742/yr
79 open jobs
6
AITX
$54,671/yr
7
Union Pacific
$53,229/yr
8
CSX
$53,045/yr
10
WM
$51,989/yr
See pay for all companies for a Welder in United StatesView data as table

Top Paying Companies

For Welder in United States

1BNSF Railway$57,742
2SpaceX$56,231
3Cameron$55,149
4McDermott$55,121
5Koch Industries$55,040
6AITX$54,671
7Union Pacific$53,229
8CSX$53,045
9Martin Marietta Materials$52,503
10WM$51,989
Total Pay Trajectory

For Welder

$47,503 /yr
Welder
$63,098 /yr
Senior Welder
$50,324 /yr
Lead Welder
See Full Career Path

Download as data table

What is the total pay trajectory for Welder?

Job TitleSalary
Welder$47,503 /yr
Senior Welder$63,098 /yr
Lead Welder$50,324 /yr

What are total pay estimates for a Welder at different companies?

or
Sort:
Company
Jobs
Total Pay Range
US Army
3.8
WelderSee 264 salaries from all locations

$45,777

 / yr
Aerotek
3.5
WelderSee 115 salaries from all locations

$21

 / hr
HII
3.6
WelderSee 57 salaries from all locations

$23

 / hr
Express Employment Professionals
3.9
WelderSee 55 salaries from all locations

$20

 / hr
Caterpillar
4
WelderSee 46 salaries from all locations

$25

 / hr
General Dynamics Electric Boat
3.4
WelderSee 39 salaries from all locations

$23

 / hr
Welder Services
4.7
WelderSee 35 salaries from all locations

$20

 / hr

Is this salary info helpful?

Let’s pay it forward! The Glassdoor community relies on people like you to share accurate salary info to promote fair compensation everywhere

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Trinity Industries
3.9
WelderSee 31 salaries from all locations

$22

 / hr
Sabre Industries
3.3
WelderSee 30 salaries from all locations

$23

 / hr
Tenneco
3.3
WelderSee 28 salaries from all locations

$22

 / hr
Newport News Shipbuilding
3.4
WelderSee 26 salaries from all locations

$22

 / hr
Polaris
3.9
WelderSee 26 salaries from all locations

$24

 / hr
Morgan Corporation
3.6
WelderSee 25 salaries from all locations

$22

 / hr
Walmart
3.4
WelderSee 25 salaries from all locations

$20

 / hr
John Deere
4.2
WelderSee 25 salaries from all locations

$24

 / hr
Faurecia
3.7
WelderSee 25 salaries from all locations

$22

 / hr
WABASH
3.5
WelderSee 24 salaries from all locations

$23

 / hr
Union Tank Car
3.2
WelderSee 24 salaries from all locations

$22

 / hr
Manpower
4.2
WelderSee 24 salaries from all locations

$21

 / hr
Altec Industries
3.9
WelderSee 23 salaries from all locations

$23

 / hr
Download as data table

Welder Salaries

Job TitleSalary
US Army Welder salaries - 264 salaries reported$45,777/yr
Aerotek Welder salaries - 115 salaries reported$21/hr
HII Welder salaries - 57 salaries reported$23/hr
Express Employment Professionals Welder salaries - 55 salaries reported$20/hr
Caterpillar Welder salaries - 46 salaries reported$25/hr
General Dynamics Electric Boat Welder salaries - 39 salaries reported$23/hr
Welder Services Welder salaries - 35 salaries reported$20/hr
Trinity Industries Welder salaries - 31 salaries reported$22/hr
Sabre Industries Welder salaries - 30 salaries reported$23/hr
Tenneco Welder salaries - 28 salaries reported$22/hr
Newport News Shipbuilding Welder salaries - 26 salaries reported$22/hr
Polaris Welder salaries - 26 salaries reported$24/hr
Morgan Corporation Welder salaries - 25 salaries reported$22/hr
Walmart Welder salaries - 25 salaries reported$20/hr
John Deere Welder salaries - 25 salaries reported$24/hr
Faurecia Welder salaries - 25 salaries reported$22/hr
WABASH Welder salaries - 24 salaries reported$23/hr
Union Tank Car Welder salaries - 24 salaries reported$22/hr
Manpower Welder salaries - 24 salaries reported$21/hr
Altec Industries Welder salaries - 23 salaries reported$23/hr
Viewing 1 - 20 of 4,040

Top Paying Industries

For a Welder in United States

The top 5 paying industries for a Welder in United States are Transportation & Logistics with a median total pay of $51,825, Energy, Mining & Utilities with a median total pay of $51,724, Aerospace & Defense with a median total pay of $50,473, Information Technology with a median total pay of $48,345, and Construction, Repair & Maintenance Services with a median total pay of $47,437.

IndustryTotal PayTotal Pay Insight
  • Transportation & LogisticsTransportation & Logistics$51,825

    9% Higher than other industries

  • Energy, Mining & UtilitiesEnergy, Mining & Utilities$51,724

    9% Higher than other industries

  • Aerospace & DefenseAerospace & Defense$50,473

    7% Higher than other industries

  • Information TechnologyInformation Technology$48,345

    3% Higher than other industries

  • Construction, Repair & Maintenance ServicesConstruction, Repair & Maintenance Services$47,437

    1% Higher than other industries

Transportation & Logistics

Top paying companies in Transportation & Logistics for Welder are BNSF Railway, AITX, and Union Pacific.

BNSF RailwayBNSF Railway$57,742/yr
AITXAITX$54,671/yr
Union PacificUnion Pacific$53,229/yr

Glassdoor Economist Pay Overview

What is the pay outlook for Skilled Labor & Manufacturing?

Skilled labor jobs like manufacturing, construction and warehousing are in high demand. Warehousing and logistics jobs are projected to grow rapidly with the growth of e-commerce and often pay higher salaries than other jobs that don't require a college degree. While a college degree is not generally required, training in new skills or earning certifications and licenses can be a way to earn a higher salary. While job opportunities are projected to grow, automation remains a risk to the long-term job outlook.

Recent Salaries Shared

For welder

Salary Share
Anonymously share your pay to help the community

Job Title

Location

Total Pay

Base Pay | Additional Pay

Total Years of Experience

Years at Recent Employer

Submitted

Date or Time

Welder/Fabricator

United States of America

 | 1-3 years

$315

/hr

$15 | $300

Submitted Yesterday

1-3 years
Yesterday
Welder/Fabricator

United States of America

 | 4-6 years

$17

/hr

Submitted Yesterday

4-6 years
Yesterday
Welder/Fabricator

United States of America

 | 4-6 years

$829

/hr

$29 | $800

Submitted Yesterday

4-6 years
Yesterday
Mig Welder

United States of America

 | 4-6 years

$15

/hr

Submitted Yesterday

4-6 years
Yesterday
Boilermaker

United States of America

 | 15+ years

$25

/hr

Submitted Yesterday

15+ years
Yesterday
Welder

United States of America

 | 4-6 years

$25

/hr

Submitted Yesterday

4-6 years
Yesterday
Welder/Fabricator

United States of America

 | 4-6 years

$18

/hr

Submitted Yesterday

4-6 years
Yesterday

Welder pay FAQ

The average salary for a Welder is $47,503 per year in United States. Salaries estimates are based on 7435 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by a Welder employees in United States.

The highest salary for a Welder in United States is $54,778 per year.

The lowest salary for a Welder in United States is $41,322 per year.

If you are thinking of becoming a Welder or planning the next step in your career, find details about the role, the career path and salary trajectory of a Welder.

Welding provides fulfilling and accessible work to candidates who wish to pursue mastery in a vocational trade instead of a four-year academic education. Pay for welding roles is similar to that of other skilled trades such as automotive specialists and bakers. Many manufacturing firms have two to three shifts varying between eight to twelve hours in length. This schedule allows them to produce around the clock. Welders can increase their pay by working multiple shifts.

Powered by Glassdoor Economic Research

According to Glassdoor data, around 63% of welders are satisfied with their salaries. In addition to a regular salary, welders may earn $1,806.74 each year. It's also common to receive company and union benefits, such as medical insurance and retirement plans.

Based on data collected by Glassdoor, welders have an annual salary that averages around $45,696.69. New welders will likely start around $36,478.05. Throughout a welder's career path, assuming skills and performance improve, the welder should have an opportunity to earn a higher salary and more lucrative overtime opportunities, eventually reaching a maximum salary of around $62,244.49.

If you already have a job, you can take steps to earn a higher salary as a welder. As you learn more advanced welds and get better at doing the common welds more quickly, you should be able to move up, eventually becoming a senior or lead welder. Focus on improving your ability to read complex blueprints, as well as improving the quality of your flat groove and horizontal flat fillet welds using manual, semi-automatic, and automatic welding equipment. Your welds should receive passing scores on Ultrasonic inspections. You may also find your career advancing more quickly if you receive training on Flux Core and Carbon Arcing Weld processes.

If you are just starting your career, you may be able to demand a higher salary by doing well in your welder job interview and showing off some impressive example welds.

For those already in a welder role and looking to negotiate a higher salary, do a welder job search for your desired position and talk about why you exceed those requirements. Be prepared to discuss your performance and safety metrics and provide examples of advanced welds. Make certain to discuss examples of leadership skills. If you are a top performer in the shop, don't be afraid to ask for a raise.

About 63.45% of Welder professionals feel satisfied with their salary, according to anonymous Glassdoor ratings. An additional $1,807 in potential pay per year, among other factors, can qualify the annual pay of a Welder in United States as a good salary.

Welder professionals in United States have a wide total pay range, between $36,478 and $62,244 depending on experience, with an estimated total pay of $47,503 following the average career path of a Welder.

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