SmartPathGuides

HomeTradesWelders › Virginia

Welders in Virginia: what they earn

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in Virginia earned a median $59,180 a year in May 2025, $28.45 an hour. 10,100 people held the job, 2.5 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 10% above the national figure of $53,750, and Virginia ranks 19 of 51 by pay for this trade.

Median annual
$59,180
$28.45 an hour
Rank by pay
#19
of 51 states and DC
Employed in VA
10,100
2.5 per 1,000 jobs
Location quotient
0.92
1.00 = national concentration

The full wage spread in Virginia

PointHourlyAnnualMeaning
10th percentile$20.44$42,520A tenth of the workforce earns less than this.
25th percentile$23.57$49,020A quarter earn less.
Median$28.45$59,180Half earn less, half earn more.
75th percentile$31.44$65,400A quarter earn more.
90th percentile$38.29$79,630A tenth earn more than this.
Mean$29.04$60,410The 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.

Virginia against its neighbors on the pay ladder

#StateMedian annualEmployed
16 New Mexico $59,840 2,390
17 Oregon $59,450 5,240
18 New Jersey $59,440 3,730
19 Virginia $59,180 10,100
20 New York $59,140 8,310
21 Colorado $58,590 4,970
22 Wisconsin $58,410 15,320

The complete ranking is on the Welders page.

Against the national figure

VirginiaUnited States
Median annual$59,180$53,750
Median hourly$28.45$25.84
10th percentile, annual$42,520$39,240
90th percentile, annual$79,630$77,530
Employed10,100416,210

Other trades in Virginia

Electricians ($62,900) · Plumbers and pipefitters ($60,470) · HVAC technicians ($59,730) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($56,860)

See all five ranked by pay in Virginia.

Licensing requirements, apprenticeship pay and the time it takes to reach journeyman in Virginia 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.