How much do welders make an hour in Athens, GA?

The median hourly wage is $23.06. The middle half earn between $23.02 and $28.39 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Athens, GA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.35 an hour ($38,170 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.02.

Do welders make more in Athens or Savannah?

Savannah pays more: the median is $47,970 in Athens and $56,410 in Savannah, a 15% difference.

How does Athens pay compare with the rest of Georgia?

The Athens median of $47,970 is 1% less than the Georgia median of $48,430.

Welder salary in Athens, GA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Athens–Clarke County, GA area earn a median of $47,970 a year, or $23.06 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $60,190 a year. That's 1% less than the Georgia median of $48,430.

Median yearly pay$47,970

Bottom 10% under$38,170Top 10% over$60,190

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.35/hr
Jobs in this area: 370
After cost of living: $51,390
Median hourly pay: $23.06/hr
vs U.S. median: −11%
vs Georgia median: −1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 12020, Athens-Clarke County, GA). 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	$38,170–$47,870$18.35–$23.02/hr
Experienced welder	$47,970$23.06/hr
Top earners	$59,050–$60,190$28.39–$28.94/hr

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

How Athens, GA compares

Athens ranks 8th of 14 Georgia metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Athens area than nationally: 3.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.4 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $60,190, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,170: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Georgia metro areas

Other trades in Athens, GA

Electrician HVAC technician Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Athens, GA?: Welders in the Athens–Clarke County, GA area earn a median of $47,970 a year, or $23.06 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $60,190 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Athens, GA?: The median hourly wage is $23.06. The middle half earn between $23.02 and $28.39 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Athens, GA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.35 an hour ($38,170 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.02.
Do welders make more in Athens or Savannah?: Savannah pays more: the median is $47,970 in Athens and $56,410 in Savannah, a 15% difference.
How does Athens pay compare with the rest of Georgia?: The Athens median of $47,970 is 1% less than the Georgia median of $48,430.

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 12020 (Athens-Clarke County, GA). 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 (93.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures