How much do welders make an hour in Blacksburg, VA?

The median hourly wage is $27.71. The middle half earn between $22.50 and $30.20 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Blacksburg, VA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.47 an hour ($40,510 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.50.

Do welders make more in Blacksburg or Virginia Beach?

Virginia Beach pays more: the median is $57,650 in Blacksburg and $62,670 in Virginia Beach, a 8% difference.

How does Blacksburg pay compare with the rest of Virginia?

The Blacksburg median of $57,650 is 3% less than the Virginia median of $59,180.

Welder salary in Blacksburg, VA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Blacksburg–Christiansburg–Radford, VA area earn a median of $57,650 a year, or $27.71 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $62,820 a year. Statewide, welders earn a median of $59,180; Blacksburg is 3% below it.

Median yearly pay$57,650

Bottom 10% under$40,510Top 10% over$62,820

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $19.47/hr
Jobs in this area: 250
After cost of living: $62,180
Median hourly pay: $27.71/hr
vs U.S. median: +7%
vs Virginia median: −3%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 13980, Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, 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	$40,510–$46,800$19.47–$22.50/hr
Experienced welder	$57,650$27.71/hr
Top earners	$62,820–$62,820$30.20–$30.20/hr

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

How Blacksburg, VA compares

Blacksburg ranks 5th of 11 Virginia metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Blacksburg area than nationally: 3.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.3 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $62,820, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $40,510: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Virginia metro areas

Other trades in Blacksburg, VA

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Blacksburg, VA?: Welders in the Blacksburg–Christiansburg–Radford, VA area earn a median of $57,650 a year, or $27.71 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $62,820 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Blacksburg, VA?: The median hourly wage is $27.71. The middle half earn between $22.50 and $30.20 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Blacksburg, VA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.47 an hour ($40,510 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.50.
Do welders make more in Blacksburg or Virginia Beach?: Virginia Beach pays more: the median is $57,650 in Blacksburg and $62,670 in Virginia Beach, a 8% difference.
How does Blacksburg pay compare with the rest of Virginia?: The Blacksburg median of $57,650 is 3% less than the Virginia median of $59,180.

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 13980 (Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, 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 (92.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures