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

The median hourly wage is $30.99. The middle half earn between $26.76 and $31.36 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Staunton, VA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.57 an hour ($44,860 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $26.76.

Do welders make more in Staunton or Virginia Beach?

Staunton pays more: the median is $64,470 in Staunton and $62,670 in Virginia Beach, a 3% difference.

How does Staunton pay compare with the rest of Virginia?

The Staunton median of $64,470 is 9% more than the Virginia median of $59,180.

Welder salary in Staunton, VA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Staunton–Stuarts Draft, VA area earn a median of $64,470 a year, or $30.99 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $85,360 a year. Statewide, welders earn a median of $59,180; Staunton is 9% above it.

Median yearly pay$64,470

Bottom 10% under$44,860Top 10% over$85,360

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.57/hr
Jobs in this area: 390
After cost of living: $70,750
Median hourly pay: $30.99/hr
vs U.S. median: +20%
vs Virginia median: +9%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 44420, Staunton-Stuarts Draft, 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	$44,860–$55,660$21.57–$26.76/hr
Experienced welder	$64,470$30.99/hr
Top earners	$65,220–$85,360$31.36–$41.04/hr

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

How Staunton, VA compares

Staunton has the highest welder median of the 11 Virginia metro areas with published pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Staunton area than nationally: 7.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.8 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $85,360, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $44,860: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Virginia metro areas

Other trades in Staunton, VA

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Staunton, VA?: Welders in the Staunton–Stuarts Draft, VA area earn a median of $64,470 a year, or $30.99 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $85,360 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Staunton, VA?: The median hourly wage is $30.99. The middle half earn between $26.76 and $31.36 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Staunton, VA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.57 an hour ($44,860 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $26.76.
Do welders make more in Staunton or Virginia Beach?: Staunton pays more: the median is $64,470 in Staunton and $62,670 in Virginia Beach, a 3% difference.
How does Staunton pay compare with the rest of Virginia?: The Staunton median of $64,470 is 9% more 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 44420 (Staunton-Stuarts Draft, 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 (91.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures