Do welders make more in Columbus or Cincinnati?

Cincinnati pays more: the median is $51,260 in Columbus and $51,990 in Cincinnati, a 1% difference.

Welder salary in Columbus, OH

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Columbus, OH area earn a median of $51,260 a year, or $24.64 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $70,470 a year. Statewide, welders earn a median of $50,340; Columbus is 2% above it.

Median yearly pay$51,260

Bottom 10% under$40,100Top 10% over$70,470

Entry-level starting pay (estimate): $19.28/hr
Jobs in this area: 2,190
After cost of living: $53,690
Median hourly pay: $24.64/hr
vs U.S. median: −5%
vs Ohio median: +2%
Mean (average) pay: $54,630 a year · $26.26 an hour

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 18140, Columbus, OH). 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.

Pay by percentile

What welders in Columbus, OH earn at each point of the pay range, May 2025: 10% earn less than the 10th percentile, half earn less than the median, and 10% earn more than the 90th.

Percentile	Hourly	Yearly
10th percentile	$19.28	$40,100
25th percentile	$22.79	$47,400
Median (50th)	$24.64	$51,260
75th percentile	$28.91	$60,140
90th percentile	$33.88	$70,470

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.

How Columbus, OH compares

Columbus ranks 4th of 15 Ohio metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Columbus area than nationally: 2.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.74 times the U.S. share.

Other Ohio metro areas

Other trades in Columbus, OH

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Heavy equipment operator Auto mechanic Roofer Ironworker Millwright

Questions

Do welders make more in Columbus or Cincinnati?: Cincinnati pays more: the median is $51,260 in Columbus and $51,990 in Cincinnati, a 1% difference.

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 18140 (Columbus, OH). 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 (95.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures