How much do welders make an hour in Charlotte, NC-SC?

The median hourly wage is $26.96. The middle half earn between $22.80 and $30.17 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Charlotte, NC-SC?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.74 an hour ($41,060 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.80.

Do welders make more in Charlotte or Virginia Beach?

Virginia Beach pays more: the median is $56,070 in Charlotte and $62,670 in Virginia Beach, a 11% difference.

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

The Charlotte median of $56,070 is 11% more than the North Carolina median of $50,590.

Welder salary in Charlotte, NC-SC

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Charlotte–Concord–Gastonia, NC-SC area earn a median of $56,070 a year, or $26.96 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $75,910. Across all of North Carolina, the median is $50,590, so Charlotte pays 11% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$56,070

Bottom 10% under$41,060Top 10% over$75,910

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $19.74/hr
Jobs in this area: 3,370
After cost of living: $57,600
Median hourly pay: $26.96/hr
vs U.S. median: +4%
vs North Carolina median: +11%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 16740, Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC). 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	$41,060–$47,420$19.74–$22.80/hr
Experienced welder	$56,070$26.96/hr
Top earners	$62,740–$75,910$30.17–$36.50/hr

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

How Charlotte, NC-SC compares

Charlotte ranks 4th of 14 North Carolina metro areas for welder pay.
Welders hold about the same share of jobs in the Charlotte area as nationally: 2.5 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $75,910, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $41,060: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other North Carolina metro areas

Other trades in Charlotte, NC-SC

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Charlotte, NC-SC?: Welders in the Charlotte–Concord–Gastonia, NC-SC area earn a median of $56,070 a year, or $26.96 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $75,910.
How much do welders make an hour in Charlotte, NC-SC?: The median hourly wage is $26.96. The middle half earn between $22.80 and $30.17 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Charlotte, NC-SC?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.74 an hour ($41,060 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.80.
Do welders make more in Charlotte or Virginia Beach?: Virginia Beach pays more: the median is $56,070 in Charlotte and $62,670 in Virginia Beach, a 11% difference.
How does Charlotte pay compare with the rest of North Carolina?: The Charlotte median of $56,070 is 11% 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 16740 (Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC). 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 (97.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures