Trades · 25 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Welder (2024)

The median Welder salary is $67,560 in San Jose, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Salt Lake City, UT offers the best purchasing power at $58,116 adjusted.

$56,534

National Median

$67,560

Highest City

$48,790

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$67,560	$50,050 – $115,370	195.8	$34,505	1,160
2	Seattle, WA	$64,510	$49,210 – $88,200	149.4	$43,179	3,270
3	San Francisco, CA	$63,890	$49,620 – $102,200	179.6	$35,573	1,940
4	San Diego, CA	$62,800	$46,410 – $82,030	160.2	$39,201	2,730
5	Boston, MA	$62,240	$47,410 – $84,230	152.1	$40,920	2,270
6	Portland, OR	$60,940	$47,330 – $82,930	130.1	$46,841	3,010
7	New York, NY	$60,840	$41,550 – $96,590	187.2	$32,500	4,930
8	Minneapolis, MN	$60,340	$47,940 – $75,610	106.2	$56,817	4,720
9	Washington, DC	$60,040	$44,380 – $105,060	152.8	$39,293	2,560
10	Salt Lake City, UT	$58,930	$42,570 – $78,460	101.4	$58,116	1,370
11	Denver, CO	$58,700	$46,200 – $77,080	112.8	$52,039	1,730
12	Los Angeles, CA	$58,200	$45,330 – $89,180	166	$35,060	7,560
13	Philadelphia, PA	$56,110	$41,560 – $74,030	118.4	$47,390	4,030
14	Phoenix, AZ	$54,650	$42,750 – $83,110	100.7	$54,270	5,670
15	Raleigh, NC	$54,080	$40,640 – $70,500	99.8	$54,188	1,100
16	Houston, TX	$53,810	$36,700 – $79,410	96.5	$55,762	17,750
17	Charlotte, NC	$53,760	$41,200 – $76,890	96.7	$55,595	3,720
18	Miami, FL	$51,390	$39,880 – $73,480	123.1	$41,747	3,520
19	Austin, TX	$51,280	$36,470 – $74,290	103	$49,786	2,760
20	Chicago, IL	$50,700	$37,950 – $70,910	107.3	$47,251	9,150
21	Nashville, TN	$50,660	$39,880 – $74,440	100.3	$50,508	2,410
22	Detroit, MI	$50,250	$38,500 – $76,370	95.1	$52,839	5,240
23	Atlanta, GA	$49,590	$39,090 – $68,110	99.2	$49,990	5,720
24	Dallas, TX	$49,290	$37,440 – $76,140	104.1	$47,349	11,870
25	Tampa, FL	$48,790	$37,990 – $65,200	99.6	$48,986	2,370

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Welder paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Salt Lake City, UT	$58,116	$58,930	101.4
2	Minneapolis, MN	$56,817	$60,340	106.2
3	Houston, TX	$55,762	$53,810	96.5
4	Charlotte, NC	$55,595	$53,760	96.7
5	Phoenix, AZ	$54,270	$54,650	100.7
6	Raleigh, NC	$54,188	$54,080	99.8
7	Detroit, MI	$52,839	$50,250	95.1
8	Denver, CO	$52,039	$58,700	112.8
9	Nashville, TN	$50,508	$50,660	100.3
10	Atlanta, GA	$49,990	$49,590	99.2
11	Austin, TX	$49,786	$51,280	103
12	Tampa, FL	$48,986	$48,790	99.6
13	Philadelphia, PA	$47,390	$56,110	118.4
14	Dallas, TX	$47,349	$49,290	104.1
15	Chicago, IL	$47,251	$50,700	107.3
16	Portland, OR	$46,841	$60,940	130.1
17	Seattle, WA	$43,179	$64,510	149.4
18	Miami, FL	$41,747	$51,390	123.1
19	Boston, MA	$40,920	$62,240	152.1
20	Washington, DC	$39,293	$60,040	152.8
21	San Diego, CA	$39,201	$62,800	160.2
22	San Francisco, CA	$35,573	$63,890	179.6
23	Los Angeles, CA	$35,060	$58,200	166
24	San Jose, CA	$34,505	$67,560	195.8
25	New York, NY	$32,500	$60,840	187.2

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose, CA pays the highest median Welder salary at $67,560. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Salt Lake City, UT offers the most purchasing power at $58,116 adjusted.

The national median Welder salary is $56,534 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $48,790 to $67,560 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.