How much do welders make an hour in Charleston, SC?

The median hourly wage is $26.95. The middle half earn between $23.30 and $29.74 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Charleston, SC?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.70 an hour ($43,050 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.30.

Do welders make more in Charleston or Charlotte?

Pay is about the same: the median is $56,060 in Charleston and $56,070 in Charlotte.

How does Charleston pay compare with the rest of South Carolina?

The Charleston median of $56,060 is 12% more than the South Carolina median of $49,980.

Welder salary in Charleston, SC

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Charleston–North Charleston, SC area earn a median of $56,060 a year, or $26.95 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $73,890. That's 12% more than the South Carolina median of $49,980.

Median yearly pay$56,060

Bottom 10% under$43,050Top 10% over$73,890

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $20.70/hr
Jobs in this area: 830
After cost of living: $55,530
Median hourly pay: $26.95/hr
vs U.S. median: +4%
vs South Carolina median: +12%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 16700, Charleston-North Charleston, SC). 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	$43,050–$48,460$20.70–$23.30/hr
Experienced welder	$56,060$26.95/hr
Top earners	$61,860–$73,890$29.74–$35.52/hr

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

How Charleston, SC compares

Charleston ranks 2nd of 10 South Carolina metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Charleston area than nationally: 2.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.79 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $73,890, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $43,050: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other South Carolina metro areas

Other trades in Charleston, SC

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Charleston, SC?: Welders in the Charleston–North Charleston, SC area earn a median of $56,060 a year, or $26.95 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $73,890.
How much do welders make an hour in Charleston, SC?: The median hourly wage is $26.95. The middle half earn between $23.30 and $29.74 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Charleston, SC?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.70 an hour ($43,050 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.30.
Do welders make more in Charleston or Charlotte?: Pay is about the same: the median is $56,060 in Charleston and $56,070 in Charlotte.
How does Charleston pay compare with the rest of South Carolina?: The Charleston median of $56,060 is 12% more than the South Carolina median of $49,980.

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 16700 (Charleston-North Charleston, SC). 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 (101.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures