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

The median hourly wage is $23.60. The middle half earn between $22.22 and $28.56 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Scranton, PA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.29 an hour ($40,110 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.22.

Do welders make more in Scranton or Philadelphia?

Philadelphia pays more: the median is $49,090 in Scranton and $58,380 in Philadelphia, a 16% difference.

How does Scranton pay compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?

The Scranton median of $49,090 is 7% less than the Pennsylvania median of $52,900.

Welder salary in Scranton, PA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Scranton––Wilkes–Barre, PA area earn a median of $49,090 a year, or $23.60 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $72,420. Statewide, welders earn a median of $52,900; Scranton is 7% below it.

Median yearly pay$49,090

Bottom 10% under$40,110Top 10% over$72,420

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $19.29/hr
Jobs in this area: 560
After cost of living: $52,470
Median hourly pay: $23.60/hr
vs U.S. median: −9%
vs Pennsylvania median: −7%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 42540, Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, 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	$40,110–$46,210$19.29–$22.22/hr
Experienced welder	$49,090$23.60/hr
Top earners	$59,410–$72,420$28.56–$34.82/hr

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

How Scranton, PA compares

Scranton ranks 13th of 16 Pennsylvania metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Scranton area than nationally: 2.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.82 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $72,420, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $40,110: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Pennsylvania metro areas

Other trades in Scranton, PA

Electrician HVAC technician Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Scranton, PA?: Welders in the Scranton––Wilkes–Barre, PA area earn a median of $49,090 a year, or $23.60 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $72,420.
How much do welders make an hour in Scranton, PA?: The median hourly wage is $23.60. The middle half earn between $22.22 and $28.56 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Scranton, PA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.29 an hour ($40,110 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.22.
Do welders make more in Scranton or Philadelphia?: Philadelphia pays more: the median is $49,090 in Scranton and $58,380 in Philadelphia, a 16% difference.
How does Scranton pay compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?: The Scranton median of $49,090 is 7% less 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 42540 (Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, 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 (93.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures