Welder salary in Gainesville, FL
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Welders in the Gainesville, FL area earn a median of $47,230 a year, or $22.71 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $60,420 a year. Statewide, welders earn a median of $50,640; Gainesville is 7% below it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $18.24/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 150
- After cost of living
- $48,830
- Median hourly pay
- $22.71/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −12%
- vs Florida median
- −7%
Entry-level to top welder pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Entry level | $37,930–$44,520$18.24–$21.41/hr | |
| Experienced welder | $47,230$22.71/hr | |
| Top earners | $52,610–$60,420$25.29–$29.05/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Gainesville, FL compares
- Gainesville ranks 20th of 22 Florida metro areas for welder pay.
- Welders are less concentrated in the Gainesville area than nationally: 1.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.37 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $60,420, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,930: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Florida metro areas
Other trades in Gainesville, FL
Questions
- How much do welders make in Gainesville, FL?
- Welders in the Gainesville, FL area earn a median of $47,230 a year, or $22.71 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $60,420 a year.
- How much do welders make an hour in Gainesville, FL?
- The median hourly wage is $22.71. The middle half earn between $21.41 and $25.29 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice welders make in Gainesville, FL?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.24 an hour ($37,930 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.41.
- Do welders make more in Gainesville or Miami?
- Miami pays more: the median is $47,230 in Gainesville and $54,590 in Miami, a 13% difference.
- How does Gainesville pay compare with the rest of Florida?
- The Gainesville median of $47,230 is 7% less than the Florida median of $50,640.
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 23540 (Gainesville, FL). 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 (96.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures