How much do welders make an hour in Cleveland, TN?

The median hourly wage is $22.44. The middle half earn between $21.56 and $27.62 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Cleveland, TN?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.24 an hour ($37,940 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.56.

Do welders make more in Cleveland or Nashville?

Nashville pays more: the median is $46,670 in Cleveland and $49,460 in Nashville, a 6% difference.

How does Cleveland pay compare with the rest of Tennessee?

The Cleveland median of $46,670 is 3% less than the Tennessee median of $48,040.

Welder salary in Cleveland, TN

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Cleveland, TN area earn a median of $46,670 a year, or $22.44 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $66,670 a year. Across all of Tennessee, the median is $48,040, so Cleveland pays 3% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$46,670

Bottom 10% under$37,940Top 10% over$66,670

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.24/hr
Jobs in this area: 120
After cost of living: $52,990
Median hourly pay: $22.44/hr
vs U.S. median: −13%
vs Tennessee median: −3%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 17420, Cleveland, TN). 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	$37,940–$44,840$18.24–$21.56/hr
Experienced welder	$46,670$22.44/hr
Top earners	$57,460–$66,670$27.62–$32.05/hr

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

How Cleveland, TN compares

Cleveland ranks 8th of 10 Tennessee metro areas for welder pay.
Welders hold about the same share of jobs in the Cleveland area as nationally: 2.7 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $66,670, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,940: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Tennessee metro areas

Other trades in Cleveland, TN

Electrician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Cleveland, TN?: Welders in the Cleveland, TN area earn a median of $46,670 a year, or $22.44 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $66,670 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Cleveland, TN?: The median hourly wage is $22.44. The middle half earn between $21.56 and $27.62 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Cleveland, TN?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.24 an hour ($37,940 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.56.
Do welders make more in Cleveland or Nashville?: Nashville pays more: the median is $46,670 in Cleveland and $49,460 in Nashville, a 6% difference.
How does Cleveland pay compare with the rest of Tennessee?: The Cleveland median of $46,670 is 3% less 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 17420 (Cleveland, TN). 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 (88.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures