How much do welders make an hour in Pittsburgh, PA?

The median hourly wage is $25.78. The middle half earn between $22.83 and $30.35 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Pittsburgh, PA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.81 an hour ($43,280 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.83.

Do welders make more in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia?

Philadelphia pays more: the median is $53,610 in Pittsburgh and $58,380 in Philadelphia, a 8% difference.

How does Pittsburgh pay compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?

The Pittsburgh median of $53,610 is 1% more than the Pennsylvania median of $52,900.

Welder salary in Pittsburgh, PA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Pittsburgh, PA area earn a median of $53,610 a year, or $25.78 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $75,780 a year. That's 1% more than the Pennsylvania median of $52,900.

Median yearly pay$53,610

Bottom 10% under$43,280Top 10% over$75,780

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $20.81/hr
Jobs in this area: 3,600
After cost of living: $56,630
Median hourly pay: $25.78/hr
vs U.S. median: 0%
vs Pennsylvania median: +1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 38300, Pittsburgh, PA). 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	$43,280–$47,480$20.81–$22.83/hr
Experienced welder	$53,610$25.78/hr
Top earners	$63,120–$75,780$30.35–$36.44/hr

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

How Pittsburgh, PA compares

Pittsburgh ranks 6th of 16 Pennsylvania metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Pittsburgh area than nationally: 3.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.2 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $75,780, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $43,280: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Pennsylvania metro areas

Other trades in Pittsburgh, PA

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Pittsburgh, PA?: Welders in the Pittsburgh, PA area earn a median of $53,610 a year, or $25.78 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $75,780 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Pittsburgh, PA?: The median hourly wage is $25.78. The middle half earn between $22.83 and $30.35 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Pittsburgh, PA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.81 an hour ($43,280 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.83.
Do welders make more in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia?: Philadelphia pays more: the median is $53,610 in Pittsburgh and $58,380 in Philadelphia, a 8% difference.
How does Pittsburgh pay compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?: The Pittsburgh median of $53,610 is 1% 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 38300 (Pittsburgh, PA). 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 (94.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures