How much do welders make an hour in Trenton, NJ?

The median hourly wage is $26.27. The middle half earn between $22.94 and $32.06 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Trenton, NJ?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.89 an hour ($45,530 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.94.

Do welders make more in Trenton or New York?

New York pays more: the median is $54,640 in Trenton and $61,680 in New York, a 11% difference.

How does Trenton pay compare with the rest of New Jersey?

The Trenton median of $54,640 is 8% less than the New Jersey median of $59,440.

Welder salary in Trenton, NJ

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Trenton–Princeton, NJ area earn a median of $54,640 a year, or $26.27 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $82,880. Across all of New Jersey, the median is $59,440, so Trenton pays 8% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$54,640

Bottom 10% under$45,530Top 10% over$82,880

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.89/hr
Jobs in this area: 180
After cost of living: $52,960
Median hourly pay: $26.27/hr
vs U.S. median: +2%
vs New Jersey median: −8%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 45940, Trenton-Princeton, NJ). 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	$45,530–$47,700$21.89–$22.94/hr
Experienced welder	$54,640$26.27/hr
Top earners	$66,670–$82,880$32.06–$39.85/hr

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

How Trenton, NJ compares

Trenton ranks 5th of 6 New Jersey metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Trenton area than nationally: 0.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.28 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $82,880, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $45,530: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other New Jersey metro areas

Other trades in Trenton, NJ

Electrician HVAC technician Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Trenton, NJ?: Welders in the Trenton–Princeton, NJ area earn a median of $54,640 a year, or $26.27 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $82,880.
How much do welders make an hour in Trenton, NJ?: The median hourly wage is $26.27. The middle half earn between $22.94 and $32.06 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Trenton, NJ?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.89 an hour ($45,530 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.94.
Do welders make more in Trenton or New York?: New York pays more: the median is $54,640 in Trenton and $61,680 in New York, a 11% difference.
How does Trenton pay compare with the rest of New Jersey?: The Trenton median of $54,640 is 8% less than the New Jersey median of $59,440.

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 45940 (Trenton-Princeton, NJ). 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 (103.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures