🔧 Skilled Trades ↑ 3% growth · Average

Welder / Welding Technician

Welders fuse metal together using heat and electricity to build everything from bridges and pipelines to aircraft and auto frames. Certified underwater welders and pipeline welders can earn $100K–$200K+. It's pure craftsmanship that never goes offshore.

$47,010 Median Salary

452K US Jobs

6 months–2 years Training

$5,000–$20,000 Typical Cost

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💰 Salary & Earning Potential

Salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Figures represent national averages — local wages vary by state, city, and employer.

Welders typically earn $22–$45 per hour, or $46,000–$93,000 annually. Certified pipe welders (6G position) earn $35–$60 per hour in industrial and pipeline construction. Union ironworker welders earn $38–$65 per hour with full benefits. Underwater welders (commercial divers who weld) earn $100,000–$300,000 for high-risk offshore and salvage work. Aerospace welders — titanium and aluminum welding to AMS and NADCAP specifications — earn $65,000–$110,000. AWS CWI inspectors earn $65,000–$120,000 without welding production work.

Entry Level

$34,000

Median

$47,010

Experienced

$70,000

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📈 Job Outlook

Projected Growth (10yr)

Average

452K

Total US Jobs

Active positions nationwide

AWS Certified Welder

Required Credential

AWS Certified Welder (CW) — industry standard

Welders join metals by applying heat and filler material — working in structural fabrication, shipbuilding, pipeline construction, manufacturing, aerospace, and heavy equipment repair. The BLS projects faster-than-average employment growth for welders driven by manufacturing sector expansion, infrastructure construction, shipbuilding, and the growing need for welders who can work with advanced materials — titanium, high-strength steel, aluminum, and duplex stainless. Pipeline welding, underwater welding, and aerospace welding are the highest-compensated specialty areas. AWS CWI (Certified Welding Inspector) certification supports advancement to quality assurance, inspection, and welding engineering roles.

🎓 Training & Education

Typical Program

Welding Certificate or Diploma

Program Length

6 months–2 years

Typical Tuition

$5,000–$20,000

Work Setting

Construction, manufacturing, oil and gas, shipbuilding, aerospace

Welder training is offered at community colleges, vocational schools, and union apprenticeship programs — typically running 6–12 months for basic certification or 4 years through union ironworker or pipefitter programs. AWS D1.1 structural welding certification tests in multiple weld positions (1G through 6G for pipe) and processes (SMAW, MIG/GMAW, TIG/GTAW) and is the industry standard qualification. Pipe welding certification in the 6G position (inclined pipe) is the most respected and best-compensated qualification. Military welding training (MOS 91E, among others) provides excellent structured entry to the profession. AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) examination requires 5+ years of experience and passing a comprehensive code and inspection examination.

🏆 Credential Required: AWS Certified Welder (CW) — industry standard

☀️ Day in the Life

A Welder begins the shift at a structural steel fabrication shop by reviewing the day's work order — a batch of 12 column base plates need 1-1/2 inch fillet welds on all four sides of the anchor bolt chair assemblies. They inspect the fit-up, verify the root gap and land dimensions meet the AWS D1.1 weld joint requirements, then preheat the heavy plate sections to 200°F with a rosebud torch before welding. Using a Miller Dynasty TIG machine, they root-pass the joint with ER70S-6 filler, making sure to maintain the arc at 90° to the base and stay within the specified travel speed range. After the root pass, they switch to 7018 SMAW electrodes for the fill and cap passes — grinding between passes with an angle grinder to remove slag. At the end of the day, a weld inspector performs visual examination of the completed welds, finding one weld crown that is slightly above the specified reinforcement height — they grind it to specification before the welds are accepted.

⚖️ Pros & Cons

Pros

Exceptional income ceiling for pipe and specialty welders: 6G-certified pipe welders at petrochemical and power plant construction projects earn $80,000–$150,000+ with overtime.
Strong union wages in structural and industrial welding: Union ironworker and pipefitter welders earn top-tier construction trade wages with comprehensive benefits.
Diverse industry applications from manufacturing to aerospace: Welding skill applies across structural steel, pipeline, shipbuilding, aerospace, automotive, and heavy equipment — enormously broad career flexibility.
CWI advancement provides white-collar inspection and management career: AWS Certified Welding Inspector certification provides access to quality assurance, code compliance, and welding engineering management roles.
Immediate, tangible results of skilled metalwork: Completing a quality structural weld or a clean TIG pass on stainless is immediately satisfying — skilled welders take genuine craftsman pride in their work.

Cons

Health hazards from welding fumes and UV radiation: Welding fume exposure creates respiratory disease risk — proper respirator use, local exhaust ventilation, and hex chrome awareness are non-negotiable.
Extreme heat and UV radiation exposure during welding: Welding generates intense UV radiation and heat — burns, flash eye (arc eye), and heat stress are occupational hazards requiring consistent PPE.
Physically demanding work in confined spaces and awkward positions: Pipeline welding in ditches, structural welding overhead in steel, and confined space vessel welding create physically demanding positions for precision work.
Temporary and project-based work at construction sites: Construction welders follow project pipelines — employment moves between projects and geographic areas, requiring flexibility in living arrangements.

📍 Woodside, DE

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