How much do welders make an hour in Portland, OR-WA?

The median hourly wage is $29.83. The middle half earn between $25.54 and $34.81 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Portland, OR-WA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.10 an hour ($48,050 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.54.

Do welders make more in Portland or Albany?

Albany pays more: the median is $62,050 in Portland and $62,790 in Albany, a 1% difference.

How does Portland pay compare with the rest of Oregon?

The Portland median of $62,050 is 4% more than the Oregon median of $59,450.

Welder salary in Portland, OR-WA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, OR-WA area earn a median of $62,050 a year, or $29.83 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $83,940. Across all of Oregon, the median is $59,450, so Portland pays 4% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$62,050

Bottom 10% under$48,050Top 10% over$83,940

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.10/hr
Jobs in this area: 3,300
After cost of living: $58,860
Median hourly pay: $29.83/hr
vs U.S. median: +15%
vs Oregon median: +4%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 38900, Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA). 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	$48,050–$53,130$23.10–$25.54/hr
Experienced welder	$62,050$29.83/hr
Top earners	$72,400–$83,940$34.81–$40.36/hr

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

How Portland, OR-WA compares

Portland ranks 2nd of 8 Oregon metro areas for welder pay.
Welders hold about the same share of jobs in the Portland area as nationally: 2.7 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $83,940, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,050: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Oregon metro areas

Other trades in Portland, OR-WA

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Portland, OR-WA?: Welders in the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, OR-WA area earn a median of $62,050 a year, or $29.83 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $83,940.
How much do welders make an hour in Portland, OR-WA?: The median hourly wage is $29.83. The middle half earn between $25.54 and $34.81 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Portland, OR-WA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.10 an hour ($48,050 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.54.
Do welders make more in Portland or Albany?: Albany pays more: the median is $62,050 in Portland and $62,790 in Albany, a 1% difference.
How does Portland pay compare with the rest of Oregon?: The Portland median of $62,050 is 4% more than the Oregon median of $59,450.

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 38900 (Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA). 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 (105.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures