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Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025

Welder Salary in Spokane, WA

Trades · SOC 51-4121 · COL Index 97.4

Welders in Spokane, WA earn a median salary of $59,350 as of 2025, with a 10th-to-90th percentile range of $45,090 to $74,450. The mean is $58,650 across approximately 630 workers. Adjusted for Spokane, WA's cost-of-living index of 97.4, the median equates to $60,934 of purchasing power in an average-cost U.S. metro.

Welder in Spokane, WA pays modestly above the national median: $59,350 versus $56,053 nationally, roughly 6% above.

Cost-of-living in Spokane, WA sits near the national baseline (index 97.4), so the unadjusted $59,350 median is reasonably comparable to wages in other near-baseline cities. Wage distribution at the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles: $50,794, $59,350, $66,900, $74,450. 630 Welder workers are documented in Spokane, WA per the BLS OEWS survey. The percentile spread is the most useful framing — entry-level pay clusters near p25, mid-career near p50, senior-level near p75-p90.

$59,350
Median Salary
$58,650
Mean Salary
$60,934
COL-Adjusted
630
Employment

Salary Distribution

Percentile Breakdown

PercentileSalaryCOL-Adjusted
10th Percentile (Entry Level)$45,090$46,294
25th Percentile$50,794$52,150
50th Percentile (Median)$59,350$60,934
75th Percentile$66,900$68,686
90th Percentile (Top Earners)$74,450$76,437

What These Numbers Tell You

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Welders in Spokane, WA is relatively tight (1.7×), suggesting pay is largely standardized — most workers earn within a fairly narrow band of the median $59,350. Roles with this distribution tend to have less negotiation leverage at the top end, but also less risk of underpayment at the bottom.

Spokane, WA's cost-of-living index of 97.4 sits close to the U.S. average — $59,350 here has roughly the same purchasing power as the same salary in the typical U.S. metro. That makes this market a clean baseline for comparing offers across cities.

Spokane, WA ranks #20 of 70 BLS-tracked metros for Welder pay — in the upper half (29th percentile of metros) but not the top tier.

How to Use This in Negotiation

The classic negotiation move is to anchor your ask on the 75th percentile of the BLS band — $66,900 for Welders in Spokane, WA — when you have meaningful experience, then bring evidence (years on the job, scope of past work, relevant certifications, comparable offers) to justify why you sit at that point in the distribution. Anchoring on the median when you have 5+ years of experience leaves money on the table; anchoring on the 90th percentile ($74,450) without strong evidence undercuts credibility.

For new entrants, the 25th-to-50th percentile band ($50,794$59,350) is the realistic target. For mid-career workers, the median-to-75th band ($59,350$66,900) is the right anchor. Senior specialists and managers should be benchmarking against the 75th-to-90th band ($66,900$74,450).

For specific scripts and a full negotiation framework, see the data-driven salary negotiation guide. To benchmark your current pay, the salary percentile calculator places any number into the BLS distribution for this role and metro.

How This Salary Is Calculated

Wage figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program — a federal survey of about 1.2 million U.S. establishments, published once per year by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. The Spokane, WA percentile bands above (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th) and the mean are pulled directly from the BLS data file for SOC code 51-4121 in this MSA. The COL-adjusted figure rebases salary to a U.S. national average COL of 100, using a composite index derived from public housing, food, and transportation data. Read the full methodology for details.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average Welder salary in Spokane, WA?

Welders in Spokane, WA earn a median salary of $59,350 as of 2025, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data. The mean (employment-weighted average) is $58,650 across roughly 630 workers in this metro.

What is the salary range for Welders in Spokane, WA?

Pay ranges from $45,090 at the 10th percentile to $74,450 at the 90th percentile — a $29,360 spread. The 25th-to-75th percentile band ($50,794 to $66,900) is the typical anchor for salary negotiation.

Is $59,350 a good Welder salary in Spokane, WA?

$59,350 is the BLS median — half of Welders in Spokane, WA earn more, half earn less. Whether it is "good" depends on your experience: new entrants typically land near the 25th percentile ($50,794), mid-career workers near the median, and senior specialists near or above the 75th percentile ($66,900). Cost-of-living-adjusted to a national average baseline, the median equates to $60,934.

How does Welder pay in Spokane, WA compare to other metros?

Spokane, WA ranks #20 of 70 BLS-tracked metros for Welder median pay. It sits in the upper half but not the top tier.

Where does this Welder salary data come from?

Every wage figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — public domain federal data covering 1.2 million U.S. employers. The same data feeds the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage system used for H-1B and federal contracting wage determinations.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Spokane, WA MSA, SOC 51-4121, 2025 release. Public domain. See bls.gov/oes. Cite as: "SalaryTruth, BLS OEWS 2025."

Last refreshed 2026-05-21 · 630 Welders tracked in Spokane, WA.