How much do welders make an hour in Riverside, CA?

The median hourly wage is $25.02. The middle half earn between $23.00 and $29.25 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Riverside, CA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.14 an hour ($43,970 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.00.

Do welders make more in Riverside or San Francisco?

San Francisco pays more: the median is $52,050 in Riverside and $64,320 in San Francisco, a 19% difference.

How does Riverside pay compare with the rest of California?

The Riverside median of $52,050 is 10% less than the California median of $58,060.

Welder salary in Riverside, CA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario, CA area earn a median of $52,050 a year, or $25.02 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $76,410 a year. Statewide, welders earn a median of $58,060; Riverside is 10% below it.

Median yearly pay$52,050

Bottom 10% under$43,970Top 10% over$76,410

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.14/hr
Jobs in this area: 3,810
After cost of living: $48,900
Median hourly pay: $25.02/hr
vs U.S. median: −3%
vs California median: −10%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 40140, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA). Excludes self-employed welders. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. *Starting pay is estimated from the 10th percentile; BLS does not report pay by license level.

Entry-level to top welder pay

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Entry level	$43,970–$47,830$21.14–$23.00/hr
Experienced welder	$52,050$25.02/hr
Top earners	$60,850–$76,410$29.25–$36.74/hr

Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.

How Riverside, CA compares

Riverside ranks 17th of 25 California metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Riverside area than nationally: 2.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.83 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $76,410, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $43,970: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other California metro areas

Other trades in Riverside, CA

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Riverside, CA?: Welders in the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario, CA area earn a median of $52,050 a year, or $25.02 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $76,410 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Riverside, CA?: The median hourly wage is $25.02. The middle half earn between $23.00 and $29.25 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Riverside, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.14 an hour ($43,970 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.00.
Do welders make more in Riverside or San Francisco?: San Francisco pays more: the median is $52,050 in Riverside and $64,320 in San Francisco, a 19% difference.
How does Riverside pay compare with the rest of California?: The Riverside median of $52,050 is 10% less than the California median of $58,060.

About this data

Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 51-4121 (Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers), area code 40140 (Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed welders and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (106.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures