How much do welders make an hour in Hilton Head Island, SC?

The median hourly wage is $25.98. The middle half earn between $21.86 and $29.03 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Hilton Head Island, SC?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.75 an hour ($38,990 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.86.

Do welders make more in Hilton Head Island or Charlotte?

Charlotte pays more: the median is $54,030 in Hilton Head Island and $56,070 in Charlotte, a 4% difference.

How does Hilton Head Island pay compare with the rest of South Carolina?

The Hilton Head Island median of $54,030 is 8% more than the South Carolina median of $49,980.

Welder salary in Hilton Head Island, SC

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Hilton Head Island–Bluffton–Port Royal, SC area earn a median of $54,030 a year, or $25.98 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $70,810 a year. Across all of South Carolina, the median is $49,980, so Hilton Head Island pays 8% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$54,030

Bottom 10% under$38,990Top 10% over$70,810

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.75/hr
Jobs in this area: 90
After cost of living: $55,120
Median hourly pay: $25.98/hr
vs U.S. median: +1%
vs South Carolina median: +8%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 25940, Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, 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	$38,990–$45,480$18.75–$21.86/hr
Experienced welder	$54,030$25.98/hr
Top earners	$60,370–$70,810$29.03–$34.04/hr

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

How Hilton Head Island, SC compares

Hilton Head Island ranks 3rd of 10 South Carolina metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Hilton Head Island area than nationally: 1.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.42 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $70,810, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,990: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other South Carolina metro areas

Other trades in Hilton Head Island, SC

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Hilton Head Island, SC?: Welders in the Hilton Head Island–Bluffton–Port Royal, SC area earn a median of $54,030 a year, or $25.98 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $70,810 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Hilton Head Island, SC?: The median hourly wage is $25.98. The middle half earn between $21.86 and $29.03 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Hilton Head Island, SC?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.75 an hour ($38,990 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.86.
Do welders make more in Hilton Head Island or Charlotte?: Charlotte pays more: the median is $54,030 in Hilton Head Island and $56,070 in Charlotte, a 4% difference.
How does Hilton Head Island pay compare with the rest of South Carolina?: The Hilton Head Island median of $54,030 is 8% 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 25940 (Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, 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 (98.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures