How much do welders make an hour in Salem, OR?

The median hourly wage is $27.49. The middle half earn between $23.50 and $29.11 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Salem, OR?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.17 an hour ($46,110 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.50.

Do welders make more in Salem or Albany?

Albany pays more: the median is $57,180 in Salem and $62,790 in Albany, a 9% difference.

How does Salem pay compare with the rest of Oregon?

The Salem median of $57,180 is 4% less than the Oregon median of $59,450.

Welder salary in Salem, OR

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Salem, OR area earn a median of $57,180 a year, or $27.49 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $72,650 a year. Statewide, welders earn a median of $59,450; Salem is 4% below it.

Median yearly pay$57,180

Bottom 10% under$46,110Top 10% over$72,650

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.17/hr
Jobs in this area: 410
After cost of living: $55,170
Median hourly pay: $27.49/hr
vs U.S. median: +6%
vs Oregon median: −4%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 41420, Salem, OR). 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	$46,110–$48,880$22.17–$23.50/hr
Experienced welder	$57,180$27.49/hr
Top earners	$60,540–$72,650$29.11–$34.93/hr

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

How Salem, OR compares

Salem ranks 4th of 8 Oregon metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Salem area than nationally: 2.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.82 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $72,650, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,110: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Oregon metro areas

Other trades in Salem, OR

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Salem, OR?: Welders in the Salem, OR area earn a median of $57,180 a year, or $27.49 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $72,650 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Salem, OR?: The median hourly wage is $27.49. The middle half earn between $23.50 and $29.11 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Salem, OR?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.17 an hour ($46,110 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.50.
Do welders make more in Salem or Albany?: Albany pays more: the median is $57,180 in Salem and $62,790 in Albany, a 9% difference.
How does Salem pay compare with the rest of Oregon?: The Salem median of $57,180 is 4% less 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 41420 (Salem, OR). 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 (103.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures