How much do welders make an hour in Parkersburg, WV?

The median hourly wage is $23.72. The middle half earn between $20.10 and $27.96 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Parkersburg, WV?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.40 an hour ($36,180 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $20.10.

Do welders make more in Parkersburg or Washington?

Washington pays more: the median is $49,330 in Parkersburg and $60,670 in Washington, a 19% difference.

How does Parkersburg pay compare with the rest of West Virginia?

The Parkersburg median of $49,330 is 1% more than the West Virginia median of $48,810.

Welder salary in Parkersburg, WV

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Parkersburg–Vienna, WV area earn a median of $49,330 a year, or $23.72 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $66,520. Across all of West Virginia, the median is $48,810, so Parkersburg pays 1% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$49,330

Bottom 10% under$36,180Top 10% over$66,520

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $17.40/hr
Jobs in this area: 90
After cost of living: $56,660
Median hourly pay: $23.72/hr
vs U.S. median: −8%
vs West Virginia median: +1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 37620, Parkersburg-Vienna, WV). 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	$36,180–$41,810$17.40–$20.10/hr
Experienced welder	$49,330$23.72/hr
Top earners	$58,150–$66,520$27.96–$31.98/hr

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

How Parkersburg, WV compares

Parkersburg ranks 6th of 10 West Virginia metro areas for welder pay.
Welders hold about the same share of jobs in the Parkersburg area as nationally: 2.5 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $66,520, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $36,180: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other West Virginia metro areas

Other trades in Parkersburg, WV

Electrician HVAC technician Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Parkersburg, WV?: Welders in the Parkersburg–Vienna, WV area earn a median of $49,330 a year, or $23.72 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $66,520.
How much do welders make an hour in Parkersburg, WV?: The median hourly wage is $23.72. The middle half earn between $20.10 and $27.96 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Parkersburg, WV?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.40 an hour ($36,180 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $20.10.
Do welders make more in Parkersburg or Washington?: Washington pays more: the median is $49,330 in Parkersburg and $60,670 in Washington, a 19% difference.
How does Parkersburg pay compare with the rest of West Virginia?: The Parkersburg median of $49,330 is 1% more than the West Virginia median of $48,810.

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 37620 (Parkersburg-Vienna, WV). 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 (87.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures