Welders, Cutters, Solderers & Brazers: pay by state
National median: $53,750/yr BLS OEWS OEWS ’25 . Below, each state's median wage is adjusted to national prices so you can compare real purchasing power, not just headline pay.
National wage range
10th percentile$39,240 25th percentile$46,790 Median$53,750 75th percentile$63,010 90th percentile$77,530
BLS percentile estimates describe the wage distribution; they are not experience levels or guaranteed offers. Published employment: 416,210. How to read wage percentiles →
What's the equivalent in another state?
A welder earning the median $80,840 in Alaska needs about $76,656 in Texas to keep the same purchasing power. The actual median there is $53,340 (—).
Show the math
How much the state matters
Nationally, the median welder earns $53,750 a year. But the state-by-state gap is large: from $80,840 in Alaska down to $47,970 in Arkansas — a spread of 69% for the same job.
The wage distribution
Nationally, the published 10th-to-90th-percentile range runs from $39,240 to $77,530. Those percentiles describe the observed wage distribution; they should not be treated as automatic starting- and senior-pay bands.
Where the job really pays best
Headline pay is only half the story. Adjust each state's wage for its cost of living and the map redraws itself. Once prices are accounted for, Alaska offers the strongest real pay ($78,945 in national-average terms). Connecticut, by contrast, pays a high nominal $64,880 but slips to 9th on real pay once its price level is factored in.
Every state, ranked by real pay
“Real pay” = median wage ÷ (state price level ÷ 100). Wage percentiles show the published spread; employment is the BLS estimate for the occupation.
| # | State | Employment | 10th pct. | Median | 90th pct. | Price level | Real median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | 790 | $49,660 | $80,840 | $109,940 | 102.4 | $78,945 |
| 2 | Hawaii | 520 | $50,000 | $79,000 | $100,220 | 110.0 | $71,818 |
| 3 | Louisiana | 13,690 | $42,810 | $62,250 | $81,750 | 88.2 | $70,578 |
| 4 | North Dakota | 2,590 | $46,660 | $62,000 | $83,290 | 89.0 | $69,663 |
| 5 | Wyoming | 1,850 | $47,220 | $63,820 | $89,610 | 92.7 | $68,846 |
| 6 | New Mexico | 2,390 | $36,860 | $59,840 | $92,760 | 92.2 | $64,902 |
| 7 | Maine | 1,690 | $47,230 | $62,220 | $76,220 | 97.1 | $64,078 |
| 8 | Iowa | 9,270 | $45,590 | $55,090 | $65,250 | 87.8 | $62,745 |
| 9 | Connecticut | 1,790 | $43,590 | $64,880 | $87,980 | 103.6 | $62,625 |
| 10 | Vermont | 340 | $45,650 | $60,890 | $74,870 | 98.0 | $62,133 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | 15,320 | $47,060 | $58,410 | $70,720 | 94.1 | $62,072 |
| 12 | Nevada | 1,600 | $44,530 | $61,520 | $95,050 | 100.0 | $61,520 |
| 13 | Minnesota | 9,270 | $45,690 | $60,280 | $75,710 | 98.6 | $61,136 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | 1,110 | $47,540 | $62,360 | $80,290 | 104.2 | $59,846 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | 2,830 | $47,720 | $62,570 | $83,430 | 105.8 | $59,140 |
| 16 | Utah | 4,440 | $43,850 | $58,380 | $79,520 | 98.9 | $59,029 |
| 17 | Washington | 7,720 | $47,980 | $63,020 | $86,250 | 107.0 | $58,897 |
| 18 | Montana | 1,530 | $43,720 | $55,610 | $81,470 | 94.6 | $58,784 |
| 19 | Mississippi | 6,460 | $36,800 | $51,100 | $64,440 | 87.0 | $58,736 |
| 20 | Virginia | 10,100 | $42,520 | $59,180 | $79,630 | 101.1 | $58,536 |
| 21 | Nebraska | 4,200 | $43,850 | $52,220 | $66,900 | 90.1 | $57,958 |
| 22 | Oregon | 5,240 | $46,070 | $59,450 | $79,230 | 103.4 | $57,495 |
| 23 | Maryland | 2,850 | $40,590 | $60,310 | $95,280 | 105.0 | $57,438 |
| 24 | Delaware | 600 | $45,550 | $57,270 | $75,560 | 99.8 | $57,385 |
| 25 | Missouri | 10,600 | $38,200 | $51,950 | $78,150 | 90.8 | $57,214 |
| 26 | Kentucky | 6,630 | $39,300 | $51,470 | $69,010 | 90.2 | $57,062 |
| 27 | Colorado | 4,970 | $44,100 | $58,590 | $79,700 | 103.1 | $56,828 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | 9,960 | $37,860 | $49,720 | $70,640 | 87.8 | $56,629 |
| 29 | South Dakota | 3,250 | $38,100 | $49,440 | $63,380 | 88.6 | $55,801 |
| 30 | Arizona | 7,270 | $39,970 | $55,600 | $81,280 | 100.7 | $55,214 |
| 31 | Arkansas | 6,150 | $37,380 | $47,970 | $62,830 | 86.9 | $55,201 |
| 32 | Texas | 52,000 | $38,380 | $53,340 | $80,240 | 97.1 | $54,933 |
| 33 | Kansas | 6,370 | $37,790 | $49,410 | $66,680 | 90.1 | $54,839 |
| 34 | New York | 8,310 | $43,840 | $59,140 | $87,110 | 107.9 | $54,810 |
| 35 | District of Columbia | 280 | $48,400 | $60,180 | $75,580 | 109.9 | $54,759 |
| 36 | New Jersey | 3,730 | $43,290 | $59,440 | $81,760 | 108.8 | $54,632 |
| 37 | Alabama | 12,450 | $36,710 | $48,490 | $66,820 | 88.8 | $54,606 |
| 38 | West Virginia | 2,100 | $36,700 | $48,810 | $73,780 | 89.5 | $54,536 |
| 39 | Ohio | 20,330 | $38,990 | $50,340 | $70,510 | 92.8 | $54,246 |
| 40 | Pennsylvania | 17,850 | $40,510 | $52,900 | $74,870 | 97.6 | $54,201 |
| 41 | North Carolina | 11,750 | $38,540 | $50,590 | $71,240 | 94.3 | $53,648 |
| 42 | South Carolina | 7,380 | $38,720 | $49,980 | $64,510 | 93.7 | $53,340 |
| 43 | Indiana | 13,280 | $38,410 | $49,730 | $74,880 | 93.3 | $53,301 |
| 44 | Idaho | 3,300 | $40,370 | $50,530 | $70,790 | 95.5 | $52,911 |
| 45 | California | 26,060 | $44,520 | $58,060 | $81,940 | 110.7 | $52,448 |
| 46 | Tennessee | 12,510 | $37,840 | $48,040 | $64,200 | 91.9 | $52,274 |
| 47 | Michigan | 13,330 | $39,090 | $49,990 | $70,200 | 96.2 | $51,965 |
| 48 | Illinois | 16,260 | $38,890 | $51,320 | $76,730 | 100.0 | $51,320 |
| 49 | Georgia | 13,130 | $38,030 | $48,430 | $65,160 | 96.3 | $50,291 |
| 50 | Rhode Island | 2,300 | $35,560 | $50,580 | $81,000 | 102.3 | $49,443 |
| 51 | Florida | 16,420 | $39,200 | $50,640 | $70,390 | 103.4 | $48,975 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · OEWS · May 2025 · rel. May 15, 2026 · Official data
BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 19, 2026 · Official data