How much do welders make an hour in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD?

The median hourly wage is $28.07. The middle half earn between $23.90 and $33.12 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.36 an hour ($44,430 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.90.

Do welders make more in Philadelphia or Reading?

Philadelphia pays more: the median is $58,380 in Philadelphia and $54,840 in Reading, a 6% difference.

How does Philadelphia pay compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?

The Philadelphia median of $58,380 is 10% more than the Pennsylvania median of $52,900.

Welder salary in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area earn a median of $58,380 a year, or $28.07 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $79,960 a year. Across all of Pennsylvania, the median is $52,900, so Philadelphia pays 10% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$58,380

Bottom 10% under$44,430Top 10% over$79,960

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.36/hr
Jobs in this area: 4,630
After cost of living: $56,930
Median hourly pay: $28.07/hr
vs U.S. median: +9%
vs Pennsylvania median: +10%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 37980, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD). 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	$44,430–$49,700$21.36–$23.90/hr
Experienced welder	$58,380$28.07/hr
Top earners	$68,890–$79,960$33.12–$38.44/hr

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

How Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD compares

Philadelphia has the highest welder median of the 16 Pennsylvania metro areas with published pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Philadelphia area than nationally: 1.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.60 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $79,960, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $44,430: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Pennsylvania metro areas

Other trades in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD?: Welders in the Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area earn a median of $58,380 a year, or $28.07 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $79,960 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD?: The median hourly wage is $28.07. The middle half earn between $23.90 and $33.12 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.36 an hour ($44,430 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.90.
Do welders make more in Philadelphia or Reading?: Philadelphia pays more: the median is $58,380 in Philadelphia and $54,840 in Reading, a 6% difference.
How does Philadelphia pay compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?: The Philadelphia median of $58,380 is 10% more than the Pennsylvania median of $52,900.

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 37980 (Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD). 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 (102.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures