Welder: career path and pay in the US
Where a Welder goes next, what each step typically pays in the United States, and how exposed the path is to AI replacement. 4 steps, from Welder / Apprentice Welder to Welding Contractor / Business Owner.
Also for the United Kingdom: Welder in the UK
The path
Step 1 · 0 to 2 years
Welder / Apprentice Welder
$40K to $60K
Typical US pay for this job title, retrieved September 2026.
What this step adds
Credentials that help: Welding Certification (optional) - Global, Apprenticeship Program (in progress) - US/UK/EU, Health & Safety Certification (required) - Global.
Step 2 · 2 to 5 years
Welder / Journeyman Welder
$50K to $75K
Typical US pay for this job title, retrieved September 2026.
What this step adds
Credentials that help: Welding Certification - Global, AWS Certification (optional) - US, NVQ Level 3 Welding - UK/EU, Health & Safety Certification - Global.
Step 3 · 5 to 10 years
Master Welder / Welding Supervisor
$50K to $75K
Typical US pay for this job title, retrieved September 2026.
What this step adds
Credentials that help: Welding Certification - Global, AWS Certification - US, NVQ Level 4 Welding - UK/EU, Health & Safety Certification - Global.
Step 4 · 10+ years
Welding Contractor / Business Owner
$105K to $155K
Typical US pay for this job title, retrieved September 2026.
What this step adds
Credentials that help: Welding Certification - Global, AWS Certification - US, NVQ Level 4 Welding - UK/EU, Health & Safety Certification - Global.
Exposure and pay along the path
Exposure to AI, now to later
24% → 24%
Stays level across the path. Lower is better.
Typical pay, now to later
$40K to $60K → $105K to $155K
US estimates by job title, Glassdoor, Indeed and PayScale US. Indeed publishes a hourly average for Welder ($24.58); this band converts it at 40 hours a week. Indeed publishes a hourly average for Welder ($24.58); this band converts it at 40 hours a week.
What the work involves
Use hand-welding, flame-cutting, hand-soldering, or brazing equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.
Skills that matter most
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
Knowledge areas
- Production and Processing
- Mechanical
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Design
- Engineering and Technology
Education people bring
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED): 54%
- Less than a High School Diploma: 21%
- Post-Secondary Certificate: 12%
Job Zone 2, job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Other paths from here
More Skilled Trades paths in the US
Related occupations in O*NET: Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters, Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers, Engine and Other Machine Assemblers, Boilermakers.
Your own role
How exposed is your job, task by task? Free score in under a minute.
SourcesSalary bands: Glassdoor, Indeed and PayScale US, US national averages by job title, retrieved September 2026Skills, knowledge and education: O*NET 31.0 Database
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CC BY 4.0
Salary estimates by job title from Glassdoor, Indeed and PayScale, retrieved September 2026. Each band runs from 20% below to 20% above the reported average, rounded to $5K. Exposure percentages and the skills listed under each step are this app's own editorial ratings, not published data.