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Welders in Oregon: what they earn

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in Oregon earned a median $59,450 a year in May 2025, $28.58 an hour. 5,240 people held the job, 2.7 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 11% above the national figure of $53,750, and Oregon ranks 17 of 51 by pay for this trade.

Median annual
$59,450
$28.58 an hour
Rank by pay
#17
of 51 with a published median
Employed in OR
5,240
2.7 per 1,000 jobs
Location quotient
1.00
1.00 = national concentration

The full wage spread in Oregon

PointHourlyAnnualMeaning
10th percentile$22.15$46,070A tenth of the workforce earns less than this.
25th percentile$23.89$49,690A quarter earn less.
Median$28.58$59,450Half earn less, half earn more.
75th percentile$32.00$66,570A quarter earn more.
90th percentile$38.09$79,230A tenth earn more than this.
Mean$29.03$60,390The 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 Oregon

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA employs the most welders of the 8 metro areas based in Oregon that BLS publishes, 3,300, at a median $62,050 a year. The best-paid is Albany, OR at $62,790.

MetroEmployedMedian annual10th pct90th pct
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 3,300 $62,050 $48,050 $83,940
Eugene-Springfield, OR 530 $54,670 $45,560 $71,730
Salem, OR 410 $57,180 $46,110 $72,650
Bend, OR 330 $56,910 $47,690 $71,590
Albany, OR 280 $62,790 $46,980 $78,310
Medford, OR 200 $50,270 $45,660 $66,090
Grants Pass, OR 100 $51,330 $47,200 $64,400
Corvallis, OR 60 $57,350 $40,000 $74,720

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.

Oregon against its neighbors on the pay ladder

#StateMedian annualEmployed
14 Minnesota $60,280 9,270
15 District of Columbia $60,180 280
16 New Mexico $59,840 2,390
17 Oregon $59,450 5,240
18 New Jersey $59,440 3,730
19 Virginia $59,180 10,100
20 New York $59,140 8,310

The complete ranking is on the Welders page.

Against the national figure

FigureOregonUnited States
Median annual$59,450$53,750
Median hourly$28.58$25.84
10th percentile, annual$46,070$39,240
90th percentile, annual$79,230$77,530
Employed5,240416,210

Other trades in Oregon

Electricians ($101,310) · Plumbers and pipefitters ($97,050) · HVAC technicians ($62,940) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($61,980) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($131,090) · Elevator installers ($138,600) · Ironworkers ($96,050) · Sheet metal workers ($73,750) · Carpenters ($62,870) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($79,450) · Auto service technicians ($58,520) · Diesel mechanics ($63,970) · Heavy equipment operators ($73,430) · Machinists ($63,820)

See all 15 ranked by pay in Oregon.

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; see how the numbers are built.