How much do welders make an hour in Kingsport, TN-VA?

The median hourly wage is $26.78. The middle half earn between $21.75 and $31.38 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Kingsport, TN-VA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.16 an hour ($37,780 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.75.

Do welders make more in Kingsport or Nashville?

Kingsport pays more: the median is $55,690 in Kingsport and $49,460 in Nashville, a 13% difference.

How does Kingsport pay compare with the rest of Tennessee?

The Kingsport median of $55,690 is 16% more than the Tennessee median of $48,040.

Welder salary in Kingsport, TN-VA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA area earn a median of $55,690 a year, or $26.78 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $69,130. Statewide, welders earn a median of $48,040; Kingsport is 16% above it.

Median yearly pay$55,690

Bottom 10% under$37,780Top 10% over$69,130

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.16/hr
Jobs in this area: 450
After cost of living: $64,420
Median hourly pay: $26.78/hr
vs U.S. median: +4%
vs Tennessee median: +16%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 28700, Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA). 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	$37,780–$45,230$18.16–$21.75/hr
Experienced welder	$55,690$26.78/hr
Top earners	$65,280–$69,130$31.38–$33.24/hr

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

How Kingsport, TN-VA compares

Kingsport has the highest welder median of the 10 Tennessee metro areas with published pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Kingsport area than nationally: 3.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.4 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $69,130, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,780: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Tennessee metro areas

Other trades in Kingsport, TN-VA

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Kingsport, TN-VA?: Welders in the Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA area earn a median of $55,690 a year, or $26.78 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $69,130.
How much do welders make an hour in Kingsport, TN-VA?: The median hourly wage is $26.78. The middle half earn between $21.75 and $31.38 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Kingsport, TN-VA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.16 an hour ($37,780 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.75.
Do welders make more in Kingsport or Nashville?: Kingsport pays more: the median is $55,690 in Kingsport and $49,460 in Nashville, a 13% difference.
How does Kingsport pay compare with the rest of Tennessee?: The Kingsport median of $55,690 is 16% 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 28700 (Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA). 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 (86.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures