How much do welders make an hour in Wheeling, WV-OH?

The median hourly wage is $24.00. The middle half earn between $20.43 and $30.46 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Wheeling, WV-OH?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.11 an hour ($37,670 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $20.43.

Do welders make more in Wheeling or Washington?

Washington pays more: the median is $49,920 in Wheeling and $60,670 in Washington, a 18% difference.

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

The Wheeling median of $49,920 is 2% more than the West Virginia median of $48,810.

Welder salary in Wheeling, WV-OH

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Wheeling, WV-OH area earn a median of $49,920 a year, or $24.00 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $105,400 a year. Statewide, welders earn a median of $48,810; Wheeling is 2% above it.

Median yearly pay$49,920

Bottom 10% under$37,670Top 10% over$105,400

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.11/hr
Jobs in this area: 160
After cost of living: $56,520
Median hourly pay: $24.00/hr
vs U.S. median: −7%
vs West Virginia median: +2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 48540, Wheeling, WV-OH). 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	$37,670–$42,500$18.11–$20.43/hr
Experienced welder	$49,920$24.00/hr
Top earners	$63,360–$105,400$30.46–$50.68/hr

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

How Wheeling, WV-OH compares

Wheeling ranks 5th of 10 West Virginia metro areas for welder pay.
Welders hold about the same share of jobs in the Wheeling area as nationally: 2.7 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $105,400, is 2.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,670: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other West Virginia metro areas

Other trades in Wheeling, WV-OH

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Wheeling, WV-OH?: Welders in the Wheeling, WV-OH area earn a median of $49,920 a year, or $24.00 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $105,400 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Wheeling, WV-OH?: The median hourly wage is $24.00. The middle half earn between $20.43 and $30.46 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Wheeling, WV-OH?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.11 an hour ($37,670 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $20.43.
Do welders make more in Wheeling or Washington?: Washington pays more: the median is $49,920 in Wheeling and $60,670 in Washington, a 18% difference.
How does Wheeling pay compare with the rest of West Virginia?: The Wheeling median of $49,920 is 2% 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 48540 (Wheeling, WV-OH). 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 (88.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures