How much do welders make an hour in Asheville, NC?

The median hourly wage is $25.26. The middle half earn between $22.72 and $29.30 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Asheville, NC?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.18 an hour ($39,890 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.72.

Do welders make more in Asheville or Virginia Beach?

Virginia Beach pays more: the median is $52,540 in Asheville and $62,670 in Virginia Beach, a 16% difference.

How does Asheville pay compare with the rest of North Carolina?

The Asheville median of $52,540 is 4% more than the North Carolina median of $50,590.

Welder salary in Asheville, NC

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Asheville, NC area earn a median of $52,540 a year, or $25.26 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $71,920. That's 4% more than the North Carolina median of $50,590.

Median yearly pay$52,540

Bottom 10% under$39,890Top 10% over$71,920

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $19.18/hr
Jobs in this area: 290
After cost of living: $54,440
Median hourly pay: $25.26/hr
vs U.S. median: −2%
vs North Carolina median: +4%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 11700, Asheville, NC). 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	$39,890–$47,250$19.18–$22.72/hr
Experienced welder	$52,540$25.26/hr
Top earners	$60,950–$71,920$29.30–$34.58/hr

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

How Asheville, NC compares

Asheville ranks 7th of 14 North Carolina metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Asheville area than nationally: 1.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.61 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $71,920, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,890: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other North Carolina metro areas

Other trades in Asheville, NC

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Asheville, NC?: Welders in the Asheville, NC area earn a median of $52,540 a year, or $25.26 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $71,920.
How much do welders make an hour in Asheville, NC?: The median hourly wage is $25.26. The middle half earn between $22.72 and $29.30 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Asheville, NC?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.18 an hour ($39,890 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.72.
Do welders make more in Asheville or Virginia Beach?: Virginia Beach pays more: the median is $52,540 in Asheville and $62,670 in Virginia Beach, a 16% difference.
How does Asheville pay compare with the rest of North Carolina?: The Asheville median of $52,540 is 4% more than the North Carolina median of $50,590.

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 11700 (Asheville, NC). 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 (96.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures