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

The median hourly wage is $23.69. The middle half earn between $22.09 and $29.15 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Durham, NC?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.03 an hour ($41,670 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.09.

Do welders make more in Durham or Virginia Beach?

Virginia Beach pays more: the median is $49,280 in Durham and $62,670 in Virginia Beach, a 21% difference.

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

The Durham median of $49,280 is 3% less than the North Carolina median of $50,590.

Welder salary in Durham, NC

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Durham–Chapel Hill, NC area earn a median of $49,280 a year, or $23.69 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $69,020. Across all of North Carolina, the median is $50,590, so Durham pays 3% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$49,280

Bottom 10% under$41,670Top 10% over$69,020

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $20.03/hr
Jobs in this area: 290
After cost of living: $50,510
Median hourly pay: $23.69/hr
vs U.S. median: −8%
vs North Carolina median: −3%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 20500, Durham-Chapel Hill, 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	$41,670–$45,950$20.03–$22.09/hr
Experienced welder	$49,280$23.69/hr
Top earners	$60,640–$69,020$29.15–$33.18/hr

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

How Durham, NC compares

Durham ranks 11th of 14 North Carolina metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Durham area than nationally: 0.8 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.31 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $69,020, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $41,670: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other North Carolina metro areas

Other trades in Durham, NC

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Durham, NC?: Welders in the Durham–Chapel Hill, NC area earn a median of $49,280 a year, or $23.69 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $69,020.
How much do welders make an hour in Durham, NC?: The median hourly wage is $23.69. The middle half earn between $22.09 and $29.15 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Durham, NC?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.03 an hour ($41,670 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.09.
Do welders make more in Durham or Virginia Beach?: Virginia Beach pays more: the median is $49,280 in Durham and $62,670 in Virginia Beach, a 21% difference.
How does Durham pay compare with the rest of North Carolina?: The Durham median of $49,280 is 3% less 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 20500 (Durham-Chapel Hill, 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 (97.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures