How much do welders make an hour in San Jose, CA?

The median hourly wage is $30.84. The middle half earn between $27.61 and $36.89 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in San Jose, CA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.62 an hour ($49,130 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $27.61.

Do welders make more in San Jose or San Francisco?

Pay is about the same: the median is $64,140 in San Jose and $64,320 in San Francisco.

How does San Jose pay compare with the rest of California?

The San Jose median of $64,140 is 10% more than the California median of $58,060.

Welder salary in San Jose, CA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA area earn a median of $64,140 a year, or $30.84 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $92,310. Across all of California, the median is $58,060, so San Jose pays 10% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$64,140

Bottom 10% under$49,130Top 10% over$92,310

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.62/hr
Jobs in this area: 1,050
After cost of living: $58,090
Median hourly pay: $30.84/hr
vs U.S. median: +19%
vs California median: +10%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 41940, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, 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	$49,130–$57,420$23.62–$27.61/hr
Experienced welder	$64,140$30.84/hr
Top earners	$76,730–$92,310$36.89–$44.38/hr

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

How San Jose, CA compares

San Jose ranks 2nd of 25 California metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the San Jose area than nationally: 0.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.35 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $92,310, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $49,130: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other California metro areas

Other trades in San Jose, CA

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in San Jose, CA?: Welders in the San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA area earn a median of $64,140 a year, or $30.84 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $92,310.
How much do welders make an hour in San Jose, CA?: The median hourly wage is $30.84. The middle half earn between $27.61 and $36.89 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in San Jose, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.62 an hour ($49,130 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $27.61.
Do welders make more in San Jose or San Francisco?: Pay is about the same: the median is $64,140 in San Jose and $64,320 in San Francisco.
How does San Jose pay compare with the rest of California?: The San Jose median of $64,140 is 10% more 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 41940 (San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, 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 (110.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures