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

The median hourly wage is $23.91. The middle half earn between $21.32 and $27.06 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Columbia, SC?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.79 an hour ($37,000 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.32.

Do welders make more in Columbia or Charlotte?

Charlotte pays more: the median is $49,730 in Columbia and $56,070 in Charlotte, a 11% difference.

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

The Columbia median of $49,730 is 1% less than the South Carolina median of $49,980.

Welder salary in Columbia, SC

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Columbia, SC area earn a median of $49,730 a year, or $23.91 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $62,900. That's 1% less than the South Carolina median of $49,980.

Median yearly pay$49,730

Bottom 10% under$37,000Top 10% over$62,900

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $17.79/hr
Jobs in this area: 830
After cost of living: $53,100
Median hourly pay: $23.91/hr
vs U.S. median: −7%
vs South Carolina median: −1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 17900, Columbia, 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	$37,000–$44,350$17.79–$21.32/hr
Experienced welder	$49,730$23.91/hr
Top earners	$56,280–$62,900$27.06–$30.24/hr

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

How Columbia, SC compares

Columbia ranks 6th of 10 South Carolina metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Columbia area than nationally: 2.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.78 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $62,900, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,000: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other South Carolina metro areas

Other trades in Columbia, SC

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Columbia, SC?: Welders in the Columbia, SC area earn a median of $49,730 a year, or $23.91 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $62,900.
How much do welders make an hour in Columbia, SC?: The median hourly wage is $23.91. The middle half earn between $21.32 and $27.06 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Columbia, SC?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.79 an hour ($37,000 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.32.
Do welders make more in Columbia or Charlotte?: Charlotte pays more: the median is $49,730 in Columbia and $56,070 in Charlotte, a 11% difference.
How does Columbia pay compare with the rest of South Carolina?: The Columbia median of $49,730 is 1% less 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 17900 (Columbia, 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 (93.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures