How much do welders make an hour in Seattle, WA?

The median hourly wage is $31.85. The middle half earn between $27.98 and $36.16 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Seattle, WA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.17 an hour ($50,270 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $27.98.

Do welders make more in Seattle or Bremerton?

Bremerton pays more: the median is $66,240 in Seattle and $71,720 in Bremerton, a 8% difference.

How does Seattle pay compare with the rest of Washington?

The Seattle median of $66,240 is 5% more than the Washington median of $63,020.

Welder salary in Seattle, WA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA area earn a median of $66,240 a year, or $31.85 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $89,630 a year. Across all of Washington, the median is $63,020, so Seattle pays 5% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$66,240

Bottom 10% under$50,270Top 10% over$89,630

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $24.17/hr
Jobs in this area: 3,230
After cost of living: $59,600
Median hourly pay: $31.85/hr
vs U.S. median: +23%
vs Washington median: +5%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 42660, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA). 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	$50,270–$58,200$24.17–$27.98/hr
Experienced welder	$66,240$31.85/hr
Top earners	$75,210–$89,630$36.16–$43.09/hr

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

How Seattle, WA compares

Seattle ranks 2nd of 13 Washington metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Seattle area than nationally: 1.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.58 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $89,630, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $50,270: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Washington metro areas

Other trades in Seattle, WA

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Seattle, WA?: Welders in the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA area earn a median of $66,240 a year, or $31.85 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $89,630 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Seattle, WA?: The median hourly wage is $31.85. The middle half earn between $27.98 and $36.16 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Seattle, WA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.17 an hour ($50,270 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $27.98.
Do welders make more in Seattle or Bremerton?: Bremerton pays more: the median is $66,240 in Seattle and $71,720 in Bremerton, a 8% difference.
How does Seattle pay compare with the rest of Washington?: The Seattle median of $66,240 is 5% more than the Washington median of $63,020.

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 42660 (Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA). 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 (111.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures