How much do welders make an hour in Virginia?

The median hourly wage is $28.45. The middle half earn between $23.57 and $31.44 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Virginia?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.44 an hour ($42,520 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.57.

Where in Virginia do welders earn the most?

Among Virginia metro areas, Staunton–Stuarts Draft has the highest median at $64,470 a year, and Harrisonburg the lowest at $51,870.

Do welders in Virginia earn more than the national average?

The Virginia median of $59,180 is 10% more than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Virginia run 1% above the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $58,530 would nationally.

Welder salary in Virginia

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in Virginia earn a median of $59,180 a year, or $28.45 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $79,630. Virginia ranks 19th of 51 states and DC for welder pay, at 10% more than the U.S. median of $53,750.

Median yearly pay$59,180

Bottom 10% under$42,520Top 10% over$79,630

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $20.44/hr
Jobs in Virginia: 10,100
After cost of living: $58,530
Median hourly pay: $28.45/hr
vs U.S. median: +10%
Rank among states: 19th of 51

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 51). 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	$42,520–$49,020$20.44–$23.57/hr
Experienced welder	$59,180$28.45/hr
Top earners	$65,400–$79,630$31.44–$38.29/hr

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

How Virginia compares

Welders hold about the same share of jobs in Virginia as nationally: 2.5 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $79,630, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $42,520: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Pay by metro area

See all Virginia metro areas

Rural Virginia

Southside Virginia nonmetropolitan area$56,510
Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area$56,020
Northwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area$54,100
Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area$52,000

Other trades in Virginia

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Virginia?: Welders in Virginia earn a median of $59,180 a year, or $28.45 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $79,630.
How much do welders make an hour in Virginia?: The median hourly wage is $28.45. The middle half earn between $23.57 and $31.44 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Virginia?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.44 an hour ($42,520 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.57.
Where in Virginia do welders earn the most?: Among Virginia metro areas, Staunton–Stuarts Draft has the highest median at $64,470 a year, and Harrisonburg the lowest at $51,870.
Do welders in Virginia earn more than the national average?: The Virginia median of $59,180 is 10% more than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Virginia run 1% above the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $58,530 would nationally.

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 51. 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 (101.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures