Statewide pay Government data
Welders in Rhode Island earn a statewide median of $50,580 a year, 3% below the typical U.S. metro, ranking #38 of 50 states and DC. About 2,300 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near Rhode Island
See all states on the welder overview.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes welder pay for 1 Rhode Island metro: Providence.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| ProvidenceRHODE ISLAND · RI | $52,800 | $51,880 | 2,490 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
The job (national)
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.
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.
Where to train in Rhode Island Government data
2 schools in Rhode Island offer precision metal working (welding, machining, sheet metal) programs below the bachelor's level, 1 of them at public colleges. Many people in this trade learn through an apprenticeship instead; a program can shorten it or get you hired as a helper.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community College of Rhode Island Warwick, RI · Public | Certificate | $12,295 | 15 | — |
| Community College of Rhode Island Warwick, RI · Public | Associate degree | $12,295 | 1 | — |
| IYRS School of Technology & Trades Newport, RI · Private nonprofit | Certificate | $33,025 | — | — |
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (data updated October 2026). Cost is the school's average yearly cost of attendance before financial aid; earnings are the median for graduates one year after finishing, shown only where the school has enough graduates to publish. “—” means not published.
Licensing in Rhode Island Official source
The main state licensing office in Rhode Island is the Rhode Island Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board. It can point you to the right license for welders.
Official Rhode Island licensing site ↗
Requirements for welders vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 16.1% of wage and salary workers in Rhode Island were union members, above the U.S. rate of about 10% (#5 of 51 states and D.C.), and 17.5% 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 Rhode Island
All trades in Rhode Island.