How to become a welder
Welders typically need a high-school diploma or equivalent combined with technical and on-the-job training. Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers earned a median $53,750 a year in May 2025, and BLS projects 2.4% growth in the job count from 2025 to 2035, with about 40,300 openings a year. Typical entry education: high school diploma or equivalent.
The steps
- Finish high school or the equivalent. Employers often prefer or require a diploma or equivalent plus technical training. Courses in blueprint reading, shop math and mechanical drawing may be helpful, and an understanding of electricity is useful.
BLS wording
“Employers often prefer or require candidates to have a high school diploma or equivalent and technical training. ... Courses in blueprint reading, shop mathematics, and mechanical drawing may be helpful. An understanding of electricity also is useful.”
- Get technical welding training. The training may be available through high-school technical classes, vocational-technical institutes, community colleges and private welding schools, and the Armed Forces offer welding-related training. Workers also may enter through an employer-based apprenticeship: some are open to entry-level workers with no prior experience or training, others are aimed at graduates of a vocational-technical welding program.
BLS wording
“This training may be available through high school technical education classes or programs at vocational–technical institutes, community colleges, and private welding, soldering, and brazing schools. In addition, the U.S. Armed Forces offer welding-related training. ... Workers also may enter the occupation through an employer-based apprenticeship program. Some apprenticeships are available for entry-level workers who have no prior experience or training, while others are targeted toward those who have completed a vocational–technical school welding program.”
- Train on the job. Entry-level workers with formal technical training still receive several months of on-the-job training. OSHA requires that welders complete training on electrical safety.
BLS wording
“Entry-level workers with formal technical training still receive several months of on-the-job training. ... The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that welders complete training on electrical safety.”
- Check license and certification requirements. Welders must be licensed in some states and localities, and requirements vary. Professional organizations offer courses leading to general certification; some employers require general or specific certification for particular jobs and may pay the cost of training and testing.
BLS wording
“Welders must be licensed in some states and localities; requirements vary. ... Professional organizations offer courses leading to general certification. Some employers require general or specific certification for particular jobs. They may pay the cost of training and testing for employees.”
Steps follow the Occupational Outlook Handbook: Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, read 2026-09-28.
How long it takes
The Handbook gives no length for the technical training; entry-level workers with formal technical training still receive several months of on-the-job training.
What it costs
No state license fee is sourced here for welders. Some employers that require certification may pay the cost of training and testing.
AWS Certified Welder
An American Welding Society Certified Welder has passed a performance-based welding test administered by an AWS Accredited Test Facility. The requirements depend on the welding process, base material, welding position and code, and the program has no educational prerequisites. Official page →
License requirements by state
Do you need a license? In some states and localities, where requirements vary; some employers also require general or specific certification for particular jobs. No state licensing records are sourced here for welders; the 51 state pages carry pay and employment.
Apprenticeships
The Handbook describes employer-based apprenticeship programs for welders: some open to entry-level workers with no prior experience or training, others for those who have finished a welding program at a vocational-technical school. The federal Apprenticeship Finder searches apprenticeship openings by occupation and by city, state or ZIP code. Apprenticeship Finder →
BLS wording
“Workers also may enter the occupation through an employer-based apprenticeship program. Some apprenticeships are available for entry-level workers who have no prior experience or training, while others are targeted toward those who have completed a vocational–technical school welding program.”
U.S. Department of Labor records list 2,071 registered apprentices active across the 50 states and DC in fiscal year 2024 under the occupation titles DOL maps to welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers; the state pages give each state's count and, where enough apprentices carry a wage DOL counts, the median starting and completing wages (how they are counted). Apprentice counts and wages in every state → · what those wages come to at your hours a week →
What welders earn, by state
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers (SOC 51-4121) earned a national median of $53,750 a year in May 2025, $25.84 an hour, with 416,210 employed. Alaska paid the most, $80,840, 50% above the national median.
Top five by median annual wage: Alaska ($80,840), Hawaii ($79,000), Connecticut ($64,880), Wyoming ($63,820), Washington ($63,020). Lowest five: Arkansas ($47,970), Tennessee ($48,040), Georgia ($48,430), Alabama ($48,490), West Virginia ($48,810).
| # | State | Median annual | Median hourly | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employed | Per 1,000 jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $80,840 | $38.87 | $49,660 | $109,940 | 790 | 2.4 |
| 2 | Hawaii | $79,000 | $37.98 | $50,000 | $100,220 | 520 | 0.8 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $64,880 | $31.19 | $43,590 | $87,980 | 1,790 | 1.1 |
| 4 | Wyoming | $63,820 | $30.69 | $47,220 | $89,610 | 1,850 | 6.6 |
| 5 | Washington | $63,020 | $30.30 | $47,980 | $86,250 | 7,720 | 2.2 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $62,570 | $30.08 | $47,720 | $83,430 | 2,830 | 0.8 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $62,360 | $29.98 | $47,540 | $80,290 | 1,110 | 1.6 |
| 8 | Louisiana | $62,250 | $29.93 | $42,810 | $81,750 | 13,690 | 7.1 |
| 9 | Maine | $62,220 | $29.92 | $47,230 | $76,220 | 1,690 | 2.6 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $62,000 | $29.81 | $46,660 | $83,290 | 2,590 | 6.0 |
| 11 | Nevada | $61,520 | $29.58 | $44,530 | $95,050 | 1,600 | 1.0 |
| 12 | Vermont | $60,890 | $29.27 | $45,650 | $74,870 | 340 | 1.1 |
| 13 | Maryland | $60,310 | $29.00 | $40,590 | $95,280 | 2,850 | 1.0 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $60,280 | $28.98 | $45,690 | $75,710 | 9,270 | 3.1 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $60,180 | $28.93 | $48,400 | $75,580 | 280 | 0.4 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $59,840 | $28.77 | $36,860 | $92,760 | 2,390 | 2.7 |
| 17 | Oregon | $59,450 | $28.58 | $46,070 | $79,230 | 5,240 | 2.7 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $59,440 | $28.58 | $43,290 | $81,760 | 3,730 | 0.9 |
| 19 | Virginia | $59,180 | $28.45 | $42,520 | $79,630 | 10,100 | 2.5 |
| 20 | New York | $59,140 | $28.43 | $43,840 | $87,110 | 8,310 | 0.9 |
| 21 | Colorado | $58,590 | $28.17 | $44,100 | $79,700 | 4,970 | 1.7 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $58,410 | $28.08 | $47,060 | $70,720 | 15,320 | 5.2 |
| 23 | Utah | $58,380 | $28.07 | $43,850 | $79,520 | 4,440 | 2.6 |
| 24 | California | $58,060 | $27.91 | $44,520 | $81,940 | 26,060 | 1.4 |
| 25 | Delaware | $57,270 | $27.54 | $45,550 | $75,560 | 600 | 1.2 |
| 26 | Montana | $55,610 | $26.73 | $43,720 | $81,470 | 1,530 | 3.0 |
| 27 | Arizona | $55,600 | $26.73 | $39,970 | $81,280 | 7,270 | 2.2 |
| 28 | Iowa | $55,090 | $26.49 | $45,590 | $65,250 | 9,270 | 5.9 |
| 29 | Texas | $53,340 | $25.64 | $38,380 | $80,240 | 52,000 | 3.7 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $52,900 | $25.43 | $40,510 | $74,870 | 17,850 | 2.9 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $52,220 | $25.10 | $43,850 | $66,900 | 4,200 | 4.1 |
| 32 | Missouri | $51,950 | $24.98 | $38,200 | $78,150 | 10,600 | 3.6 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $51,470 | $24.74 | $39,300 | $69,010 | 6,630 | 3.3 |
| 34 | Illinois | $51,320 | $24.67 | $38,890 | $76,730 | 16,260 | 2.7 |
| 35 | Mississippi | $51,100 | $24.57 | $36,800 | $64,440 | 6,460 | 5.6 |
| 36 | Florida | $50,640 | $24.35 | $39,200 | $70,390 | 16,420 | 1.7 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $50,590 | $24.32 | $38,540 | $71,240 | 11,750 | 2.4 |
| 38 | Rhode Island | $50,580 | $24.32 | $35,560 | $81,000 | 2,300 | 4.6 |
| 39 | Idaho | $50,530 | $24.30 | $40,370 | $70,790 | 3,300 | 3.9 |
| 40 | Ohio | $50,340 | $24.20 | $38,990 | $70,510 | 20,330 | 3.7 |
| 41 | Michigan | $49,990 | $24.03 | $39,090 | $70,200 | 13,330 | 3.0 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $49,980 | $24.03 | $38,720 | $64,510 | 7,380 | 3.2 |
| 43 | Indiana | $49,730 | $23.91 | $38,410 | $74,880 | 13,280 | 4.1 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $49,720 | $23.90 | $37,860 | $70,640 | 9,960 | 5.8 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $49,440 | $23.77 | $38,100 | $63,380 | 3,250 | 7.1 |
| 46 | Kansas | $49,410 | $23.75 | $37,790 | $66,680 | 6,370 | 4.4 |
| 47 | West Virginia | $48,810 | $23.46 | $36,700 | $73,780 | 2,100 | 3.0 |
| 48 | Alabama | $48,490 | $23.31 | $36,710 | $66,820 | 12,450 | 5.9 |
| 49 | Georgia | $48,430 | $23.28 | $38,030 | $65,160 | 13,130 | 2.7 |
| 50 | Tennessee | $48,040 | $23.10 | $37,840 | $64,200 | 12,510 | 3.8 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $47,970 | $23.06 | $37,380 | $62,830 | 6,150 | 4.7 |
"Per 1,000 jobs" is how concentrated the trade is in that state's workforce. A state can pay well and still have few openings; the employment column and this one together say how much of a market there is.
As files: pay by state (CSV) · pay by metro area (CSV) · all files and how to credit them.
Job outlook, 2025 to 2035
BLS projects 2.4% growth in employment from 2025 to 2035 (437,700 to 448,100 jobs) and about 40,300 openings a year over the decade, counting growth and replacement.
| Figure | 2025 | 2035 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 437,700 | 448,100 | +10,300 (2.4%) |
| Openings a year, average | 40,300 | ||
| Typical entry education | High school diploma or equivalent | ||
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, Table 1.2 Occupational projections, 2025–35, and worker characteristics, 2025, retrieved 2026-10-03. Openings count growth plus the workers who leave the occupation.
Common questions
How long does it take to become a welder?
The Handbook gives no length for the technical training; entry-level workers with formal technical training still receive several months of on-the-job training.
How much does it cost to become a welder?
No state license fee is sourced here for welders. Some employers that require certification may pay the cost of training and testing.
Do you need a license to be a welder?
In some states and localities, where requirements vary; some employers also require general or specific certification for particular jobs.
How much do welders make?
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers earned a median $53,750 a year in May 2025 ($25.84 an hour). The 10th to 90th percentile range is $39,240 to $77,530; Alaska pays the most at $80,840.
What is the job outlook for welders?
BLS projects 2.4% growth in employment from 2025 to 2035 (437,700 to 448,100 jobs) and about 40,300 openings a year over the decade, counting growth and replacement.
Sources
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, read 2026-09-28: the steps, training length and licensing pattern.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, retrieved 2026-10-03: every wage and employment figure. How the numbers are built.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, Table 1.2, retrieved 2026-10-03: growth, openings and entry education.