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

The median hourly wage is $27.74. The middle half earn between $23.36 and $31.97 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Richmond, VA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.65 an hour ($42,950 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.36.

Do welders make more in Richmond or Virginia Beach?

Virginia Beach pays more: the median is $57,710 in Richmond and $62,670 in Virginia Beach, a 8% difference.

How does Richmond pay compare with the rest of Virginia?

The Richmond median of $57,710 is 2% less than the Virginia median of $59,180.

Welder salary in Richmond, VA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Richmond, VA area earn a median of $57,710 a year, or $27.74 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $83,920. Statewide, welders earn a median of $59,180; Richmond is 2% below it.

Median yearly pay$57,710

Bottom 10% under$42,950Top 10% over$83,920

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $20.65/hr
Jobs in this area: 1,260
After cost of living: $58,970
Median hourly pay: $27.74/hr
vs U.S. median: +7%
vs Virginia median: −2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 40060, Richmond, 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	$42,950–$48,600$20.65–$23.36/hr
Experienced welder	$57,710$27.74/hr
Top earners	$66,490–$83,920$31.97–$40.35/hr

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

How Richmond, VA compares

Richmond ranks 4th of 11 Virginia metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Richmond area than nationally: 1.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.71 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $83,920, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $42,950: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Virginia metro areas

Other trades in Richmond, VA

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Richmond, VA?: Welders in the Richmond, VA area earn a median of $57,710 a year, or $27.74 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $83,920.
How much do welders make an hour in Richmond, VA?: The median hourly wage is $27.74. The middle half earn between $23.36 and $31.97 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Richmond, VA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.65 an hour ($42,950 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.36.
Do welders make more in Richmond or Virginia Beach?: Virginia Beach pays more: the median is $57,710 in Richmond and $62,670 in Virginia Beach, a 8% difference.
How does Richmond pay compare with the rest of Virginia?: The Richmond median of $57,710 is 2% 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 40060 (Richmond, 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 (97.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures