How much do welders make an hour in Johnson City, TN?

The median hourly wage is $22.15. The middle half earn between $19.76 and $25.56 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Johnson City, TN?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.53 an hour ($36,460 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.76.

Do welders make more in Johnson City or Nashville?

Nashville pays more: the median is $46,070 in Johnson City and $49,460 in Nashville, a 7% difference.

How does Johnson City pay compare with the rest of Tennessee?

The Johnson City median of $46,070 is 4% less than the Tennessee median of $48,040.

Welder salary in Johnson City, TN

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Johnson City, TN area earn a median of $46,070 a year, or $22.15 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $58,700 a year. Statewide, welders earn a median of $48,040; Johnson City is 4% below it.

Median yearly pay$46,070

Bottom 10% under$36,460Top 10% over$58,700

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $17.53/hr
Jobs in this area: 170
After cost of living: $52,400
Median hourly pay: $22.15/hr
vs U.S. median: −14%
vs Tennessee median: −4%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 27740, Johnson City, 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	$36,460–$41,100$17.53–$19.76/hr
Experienced welder	$46,070$22.15/hr
Top earners	$53,160–$58,700$25.56–$28.22/hr

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

How Johnson City, TN compares

Johnson City ranks 9th of 10 Tennessee metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Johnson City area than nationally: 2.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.78 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $58,700, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $36,460: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Tennessee metro areas

Other trades in Johnson City, TN

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Johnson City, TN?: Welders in the Johnson City, TN area earn a median of $46,070 a year, or $22.15 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $58,700 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Johnson City, TN?: The median hourly wage is $22.15. The middle half earn between $19.76 and $25.56 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Johnson City, TN?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.53 an hour ($36,460 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.76.
Do welders make more in Johnson City or Nashville?: Nashville pays more: the median is $46,070 in Johnson City and $49,460 in Nashville, a 7% difference.
How does Johnson City pay compare with the rest of Tennessee?: The Johnson City median of $46,070 is 4% 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 27740 (Johnson City, 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 (87.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures