How much do welders make an hour in Rhode Island?

The median hourly wage is $24.32. The middle half earn between $24.32 and $32.82 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Rhode Island?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.09 an hour ($35,560 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.32.

Do welders in Rhode Island earn more than the national average?

The Rhode Island median of $50,580 is 6% less than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Rhode Island run 2% above the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $49,450 would nationally.

Welder salary in Rhode Island

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in Rhode Island earn a median of $50,580 a year, or $24.32 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $81,000. That's 6% less than the national median of $53,750, 38th of 51 states and DC.

Median yearly pay$50,580

Bottom 10% under$35,560Top 10% over$81,000

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $17.09/hr
Jobs in Rhode Island: 2,300
After cost of living: $49,450
Median hourly pay: $24.32/hr
vs U.S. median: −6%
Rank among states: 38th of 51

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 44). 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	$35,560–$50,580$17.09–$24.32/hr
Experienced welder	$50,580$24.32/hr
Top earners	$68,260–$81,000$32.82–$38.94/hr

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

How Rhode Island compares

Welders are more concentrated in Rhode Island than nationally: 4.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.7 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $81,000, is 2.3 times the 10th-percentile wage, $35,560: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Pay by metro area

Providence–Warwick$52,800

Other trades in Rhode Island

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Rhode Island?: Welders in Rhode Island earn a median of $50,580 a year, or $24.32 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $81,000.
How much do welders make an hour in Rhode Island?: The median hourly wage is $24.32. The middle half earn between $24.32 and $32.82 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Rhode Island?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.09 an hour ($35,560 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.32.
Do welders in Rhode Island earn more than the national average?: The Rhode Island median of $50,580 is 6% less than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Rhode Island run 2% above the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $49,450 would nationally.

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 44. 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 (102.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures