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Map of Washington, DC showing 1 metro area with skilled trade pay data
Washington, DC: 1 metro with trade pay data

Welder pay in Washington, DC

Statewide and by city · BLS, May 2025

$60,180statewide median a year
$28.93median an hour
#15of 50 states + DC
280welders employed statewide

Statewide pay Government data

Welders in Washington, DC earn a statewide median of $60,180 a year, 15% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #15 of 50 states and DC. About 280 people work in the trade statewide.

Statewide pay range

$48,400Entry · 10th$50,11025th$60,180Median$75,58075th$75,580Top · 90th

States ranked near Washington, DC

Vermont$60,890
Maryland$60,310
Minnesota$60,280
Washington, DC$60,180
New Mexico$59,840
Oregon$59,450
New Jersey$59,440

See all states on the welders nationwide.

Pay by city Government data

BLS publishes welder pay for 1 Washington, DC metro: Washington.

MetroMedian payReal payJobs
WashingtonWASHINGTON, DC · DC$60,670$55,7202,000

Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate

The job (national)

Blueprint-style drawing of a steel frame with a fillet weld in progress, illustrating welder work in Washington, DC
Welder pay in Washington, DC: $60,180 statewide median, BLS May 2025.

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.

Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2.4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 40,300 openings a year. Typical training: moderate-term on-the-job training.

Nationally, welders have 43 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 50% below the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.

What the work is like Government data

How often welders deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.

Outdoors, in all kinds of weatherRarely
Indoors with heating and air conditioningOccasionally
Very hot or cold conditionsSometimes
Working at heightsOccasionally
Climbing ladders, scaffolds or polesRarely
Cramped spaces and awkward positionsOccasionally
Loud noiseOften
Hazardous conditionsSometimes
Standing, bending, kneeling and walkingSometimes
SittingOccasionally

Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).

O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.

Licensing in Washington, DC Official source

The main state licensing office in Washington, DC is the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection. It can point you to the right license for welders.

Official Washington, DC licensing site ↗

Requirements for welders vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.

Union membership

In 2025, 9.2% of wage and salary workers in Washington, DC were union members, below the U.S. rate of about 10% (#23 of 51 states and D.C.), and 10.7% were covered by a union contract. These figures cover all jobs in the state, not only welders.

BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.

Cities in Washington, DC

WashingtonWASHINGTON, DC · DC+3.3%population since 2020 · 3.8% unemployment

All trades in Washington, DC.

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