TradeSalary

Welder salary in Goldsboro, NC

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Goldsboro, NC area earn a median of $48,320 a year, or $23.23 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $58,960. Across all of North Carolina, the median is $50,590, so Goldsboro pays 4% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$48,320
Bottom 10% under$37,270Top 10% over$58,960
Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
$17.92/hr
Jobs in this area
140
After cost of living
$54,620
Median hourly pay
$23.23/hr
vs U.S. median
−10%
vs North Carolina median
−4%
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 24140, Goldsboro, 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

StageYearly payHourly pay
Entry level$37,270–$39,420$17.92–$18.95/hr
Experienced welder$48,320$23.23/hr
Top earners$52,370–$58,960$25.18–$28.35/hr

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

How Goldsboro, NC compares

  • Goldsboro ranks 12th of 14 North Carolina metro areas for welder pay.
  • Welders are more concentrated in the Goldsboro area than nationally: 3.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.3 times the U.S. share.
  • The 90th-percentile wage, $58,960, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,270: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other North Carolina metro areas

Other trades in Goldsboro, NC

Questions

How much do welders make in Goldsboro, NC?
Welders in the Goldsboro, NC area earn a median of $48,320 a year, or $23.23 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $58,960.
How much do welders make an hour in Goldsboro, NC?
The median hourly wage is $23.23. The middle half earn between $18.95 and $25.18 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Goldsboro, NC?
BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.92 an hour ($37,270 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $18.95.
Do welders make more in Goldsboro or Virginia Beach?
Virginia Beach pays more: the median is $48,320 in Goldsboro and $62,670 in Virginia Beach, a 23% difference.
How does Goldsboro pay compare with the rest of North Carolina?
The Goldsboro median of $48,320 is 4% 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 24140 (Goldsboro, 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 (88.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures