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Welders in Georgia: what they earn

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in Georgia earned a median $48,430 a year in May 2025, $23.28 an hour. 13,130 people held the job, 2.7 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 10% below the national figure of $53,750, and Georgia ranks 49 of 51 by pay for this trade.

Median annual
$48,430
$23.28 an hour
Rank by pay
#49
of 51 with a published median
Employed in GA
13,130
2.7 per 1,000 jobs
Location quotient
1.00
1.00 = national concentration

The full wage spread in Georgia

PointHourlyAnnualMeaning
10th percentile$18.29$38,030A tenth of the workforce earns less than this.
25th percentile$21.23$44,150A quarter earn less.
Median$23.28$48,430Half earn less, half earn more.
75th percentile$28.00$58,240A quarter earn more.
90th percentile$31.33$65,160A tenth earn more than this.
Mean$24.77$51,520The average. Pulled up by the top earners.

Annual figures are the hourly rate times 2,080 hours, BLS's full-time year. Overtime is inside the survey's earnings but not separated out.

Pay by metro area in Georgia

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA employs the most welders of the 13 metro areas based in Georgia that BLS publishes, 5,240, at a median $49,630 a year. The best-paid is Savannah, GA at $56,410.

MetroEmployedMedian annual10th pct90th pct
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 5,240 $49,630 $39,100 $69,300
Gainesville, GA 890 $48,430 $41,740 $58,230
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 680 $50,800 $38,520 $71,010
Savannah, GA 460 $56,410 $38,230 $67,210
Athens-Clarke County, GA 370 $47,970 $38,170 $60,190
Warner Robins, GA 340 $50,170 $37,380 $62,400
Columbus, GA-AL 330 $40,100 $31,650 $57,020
Macon-Bibb County, GA 210 $46,420 $37,040 $65,420
Valdosta, GA 180 $47,240 $38,450 $61,200
Albany, GA 170 $47,180 $37,430 $74,300
Rome, GA 160 $42,280 $38,310 $56,960
Dalton, GA 120 $47,190 $35,620 $58,900
Brunswick-St. Simons, GA 80 $48,380 $38,650 $61,930

Metropolitan statistical areas as BLS publishes them in the same May 2025 estimates. A metro that crosses a state line is listed only under its primary state, so part of a neighboring state's metro can sit outside this table. Areas outside any metro are not shown. Listed under another state but reaching into Georgia: Chattanooga, TN-GA.

Georgia against its neighbors on the pay ladder

#StateMedian annualEmployed
46 Kansas $49,410 6,370
47 West Virginia $48,810 2,100
48 Alabama $48,490 12,450
49 Georgia $48,430 13,130
50 Tennessee $48,040 12,510
51 Arkansas $47,970 6,150

The complete ranking is on the Welders page.

Against the national figure

FigureGeorgiaUnited States
Median annual$48,430$53,750
Median hourly$23.28$25.84
10th percentile, annual$38,030$39,240
90th percentile, annual$65,160$77,530
Employed13,130416,210

Apprenticeships in Georgia

U.S. Department of Labor records list 19 registered apprentices active in Georgia in fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024) under the occupation titles DOL maps to welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers (SOC 51-4121). The file's fiscal 2024 records largely stop after February 2024. In fiscal 2023, the latest year the file holds in full, 14 apprentices started; 14 have a starting wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs here. Of those who completed that year, 6 have an exit wage DOL counts, fewer than the 50 a median needs.

Find a registered program: DOL's Apprenticeship Finder → · Every state's count and wages for this trade →

Which wages DOL counts, which titles count and how the state is assigned are on the data page.

Other trades in Georgia

Electricians ($58,320) · Plumbers and pipefitters ($57,200) · HVAC technicians ($56,390) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($57,050) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($80,080) · Elevator installers ($83,500) · Ironworkers ($48,090) · Sheet metal workers ($56,800) · Carpenters ($49,350) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($50,650) · Auto service technicians ($49,060) · Diesel mechanics ($61,370) · Heavy equipment operators ($47,880) · Machinists ($52,610)

See all 15 ranked by pay in Georgia.

No state licensing records are sourced here for welders. The steps into the trade are on the Welders page. Numbers on this page are the May 2025 BLS estimates, apart from the apprenticeship figures, which are DOL's; see how the numbers are built.