How much do welders make an hour in Memphis, TN-MS-AR?

The median hourly wage is $23.37. The middle half earn between $20.31 and $27.64 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Memphis, TN-MS-AR?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.57 an hour ($38,620 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $20.31.

Do welders make more in Memphis or Clarksville?

Clarksville pays more: the median is $48,600 in Memphis and $52,970 in Clarksville, a 8% difference.

How does Memphis pay compare with the rest of Tennessee?

The Memphis median of $48,600 is 1% more than the Tennessee median of $48,040.

Welder salary in Memphis, TN-MS-AR

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR area earn a median of $48,600 a year, or $23.37 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $65,280. Across all of Tennessee, the median is $48,040, so Memphis pays 1% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$48,600

Bottom 10% under$38,620Top 10% over$65,280

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.57/hr
Jobs in this area: 1,590
After cost of living: $52,720
Median hourly pay: $23.37/hr
vs U.S. median: −10%
vs Tennessee median: +1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 32820, Memphis, TN-MS-AR). 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	$38,620–$42,240$18.57–$20.31/hr
Experienced welder	$48,600$23.37/hr
Top earners	$57,480–$65,280$27.64–$31.38/hr

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

How Memphis, TN-MS-AR compares

Memphis ranks 5th of 10 Tennessee metro areas for welder pay.
Welders hold about the same share of jobs in the Memphis area as nationally: 2.6 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $65,280, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,620: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Tennessee metro areas

Other trades in Memphis, TN-MS-AR

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Memphis, TN-MS-AR?: Welders in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR area earn a median of $48,600 a year, or $23.37 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $65,280.
How much do welders make an hour in Memphis, TN-MS-AR?: The median hourly wage is $23.37. The middle half earn between $20.31 and $27.64 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Memphis, TN-MS-AR?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.57 an hour ($38,620 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $20.31.
Do welders make more in Memphis or Clarksville?: Clarksville pays more: the median is $48,600 in Memphis and $52,970 in Clarksville, a 8% difference.
How does Memphis pay compare with the rest of Tennessee?: The Memphis median of $48,600 is 1% 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 32820 (Memphis, TN-MS-AR). 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 (92.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures