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Welders in North Carolina: what they earn

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in North Carolina earned a median $50,590 a year in May 2025, $24.32 an hour. 11,750 people held the job, 2.4 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 6% below the national figure of $53,750, and North Carolina ranks 37 of 51 by pay for this trade.

Median annual
$50,590
$24.32 an hour
Rank by pay
#37
of 51 states and DC
Employed in NC
11,750
2.4 per 1,000 jobs
Location quotient
0.89
1.00 = national concentration

The full wage spread in North Carolina

PointHourlyAnnualMeaning
10th percentile$18.53$38,540A tenth of the workforce earns less than this.
25th percentile$21.83$45,400A quarter earn less.
Median$24.32$50,590Half earn less, half earn more.
75th percentile$29.26$60,870A quarter earn more.
90th percentile$34.25$71,240A tenth earn more than this.
Mean$25.83$53,720The average. Pulled up by the top earners.

Annual figures are the hourly rate times 2,080 hours, BLS's full-time year. Overtime is inside the survey's earnings but not separated out.

North Carolina against its neighbors on the pay ladder

#StateMedian annualEmployed
34 Illinois $51,320 16,260
35 Mississippi $51,100 6,460
36 Florida $50,640 16,420
37 North Carolina $50,590 11,750
38 Rhode Island $50,580 2,300
39 Idaho $50,530 3,300
40 Ohio $50,340 20,330

The complete ranking is on the Welders page.

Against the national figure

North CarolinaUnited States
Median annual$50,590$53,750
Median hourly$24.32$25.84
10th percentile, annual$38,540$39,240
90th percentile, annual$71,240$77,530
Employed11,750416,210

Other trades in North Carolina

Electricians ($56,800) · Plumbers and pipefitters ($57,080) · HVAC technicians ($57,260) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($51,530)

See all five ranked by pay in North Carolina.

Licensing requirements, apprenticeship pay and the time it takes to reach journeyman in North Carolina are being collected from the state authority and will appear here once sourced and cited. Numbers on this page are the May 2025 BLS estimates; see how the numbers are built.