How much do welders make an hour in Chattanooga, TN-GA?

The median hourly wage is $23.66. The middle half earn between $20.43 and $29.39 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Chattanooga, TN-GA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.03 an hour ($37,500 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $20.43.

Do welders make more in Chattanooga or Clarksville?

Clarksville pays more: the median is $49,220 in Chattanooga and $52,970 in Clarksville, a 7% difference.

How does Chattanooga pay compare with the rest of Tennessee?

The Chattanooga median of $49,220 is 2% more than the Tennessee median of $48,040.

Welder salary in Chattanooga, TN-GA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Chattanooga, TN-GA area earn a median of $49,220 a year, or $23.66 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $69,320. Statewide, welders earn a median of $48,040; Chattanooga is 2% above it.

Median yearly pay$49,220

Bottom 10% under$37,500Top 10% over$69,320

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.03/hr
Jobs in this area: 1,850
After cost of living: $53,810
Median hourly pay: $23.66/hr
vs U.S. median: −8%
vs Tennessee median: +2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 16860, Chattanooga, TN-GA). 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	$37,500–$42,500$18.03–$20.43/hr
Experienced welder	$49,220$23.66/hr
Top earners	$61,130–$69,320$29.39–$33.33/hr

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

How Chattanooga, TN-GA compares

Chattanooga ranks 4th of 10 Tennessee metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Chattanooga area than nationally: 6.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.6 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $69,320, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,500: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Tennessee metro areas

Other trades in Chattanooga, TN-GA

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Chattanooga, TN-GA?: Welders in the Chattanooga, TN-GA area earn a median of $49,220 a year, or $23.66 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $69,320.
How much do welders make an hour in Chattanooga, TN-GA?: The median hourly wage is $23.66. The middle half earn between $20.43 and $29.39 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Chattanooga, TN-GA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.03 an hour ($37,500 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $20.43.
Do welders make more in Chattanooga or Clarksville?: Clarksville pays more: the median is $49,220 in Chattanooga and $52,970 in Clarksville, a 7% difference.
How does Chattanooga pay compare with the rest of Tennessee?: The Chattanooga median of $49,220 is 2% more than the Tennessee median of $48,040.

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 16860 (Chattanooga, TN-GA). 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 (91.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures