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

The median hourly wage is $26.60. The middle half earn between $22.54 and $29.11 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Wilmington, NC?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.46 an hour ($38,390 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.54.

Do welders make more in Wilmington or Virginia Beach?

Virginia Beach pays more: the median is $55,340 in Wilmington and $62,670 in Virginia Beach, a 12% difference.

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

The Wilmington median of $55,340 is 9% more than the North Carolina median of $50,590.

Welder salary in Wilmington, NC

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Wilmington, NC area earn a median of $55,340 a year, or $26.60 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $68,640. Across all of North Carolina, the median is $50,590, so Wilmington pays 9% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$55,340

Bottom 10% under$38,390Top 10% over$68,640

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.46/hr
Jobs in this area: 260
After cost of living: $57,390
Median hourly pay: $26.60/hr
vs U.S. median: +3%
vs North Carolina median: +9%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 48900, Wilmington, 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	$38,390–$46,890$18.46–$22.54/hr
Experienced welder	$55,340$26.60/hr
Top earners	$60,560–$68,640$29.11–$33.00/hr

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

How Wilmington, NC compares

Wilmington ranks 5th of 14 North Carolina metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Wilmington area than nationally: 1.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.52 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $68,640, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,390: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other North Carolina metro areas

Other trades in Wilmington, NC

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Wilmington, NC?: Welders in the Wilmington, NC area earn a median of $55,340 a year, or $26.60 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $68,640.
How much do welders make an hour in Wilmington, NC?: The median hourly wage is $26.60. The middle half earn between $22.54 and $29.11 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Wilmington, NC?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.46 an hour ($38,390 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.54.
Do welders make more in Wilmington or Virginia Beach?: Virginia Beach pays more: the median is $55,340 in Wilmington and $62,670 in Virginia Beach, a 12% difference.
How does Wilmington pay compare with the rest of North Carolina?: The Wilmington median of $55,340 is 9% 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 48900 (Wilmington, 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 (96.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures