How much do structural welders make in 2026?
Structural welders are counted in the BLS welders, cutters, solderers and brazers series: OEWS May 2025 puts the SOC 51-4121 national median at $53,750 a year ($25.84 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $39,240 and the top 10% at $77,530. Structural work generally sits in the upper half of that band, and the reason is inspection. Welds on building frames, bridges, cranes and heavy structures are made to a qualified procedure under AWS D1.1 or D1.5 and then examined — visually, and by ultrasonic or radiographic testing on complete joint penetration welds — so a structural welder is paid for producing welds that pass a third party's examination, in position, in the field, in weather. That is a narrower skill than shop welding and it is priced as one. Above the general structural rate sit bridge welders working to D1.5 with its stricter requirements, welders qualified on demand-critical connections in seismic regions, and those combining welding with ironwork or inspection. Rejection rates matter directly: a welder whose joints fail ultrasonic testing costs a contractor grinding, rewelding and schedule, and does not stay on the crew. Employment is projected to grow 2.2% through 2034 with roughly 45,600 openings a year. → Full structural welder career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $53,750 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Structural Welders earn a national median $53,750/yr ($25.84/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 51-4121); the P10 to P90 range is $39,240 to $77,530.
- Structural welders sit in the upper half of the pooled SOC 51-4121 band ($39,240 to $77,530) because their welds are inspected by third parties to AWS D1.1 or D1.5 rather than accepted visually.
- Bridge welding to D1.5 and demand-critical seismic connections pay above general structural work, and combining welding with ironwork or inspection raises earnings further.
- Rejection rate is a pay variable in this specialism: welders whose complete joint penetration welds fail ultrasonic testing cost the contractor rework and schedule, and do not remain on crews.
US Structural Welder Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do structural welders earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 51-4121; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 51-4121, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a structural welder earn at each career stage?
Structural welding pay follows certification, position and inspection performance. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 51-4121.
By State
Which states pay structural welders the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. Structural welding follows steel construction: states with high-rise programmes, bridge rehabilitation funding, transit projects and industrial build-out pay above the modeled figure, and prevailing-wage rules on public work lift field rates substantially during projects.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($61,810), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay structural welders the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Metro premiums are real in structural welding because that is where inspected high-rise steel is erected, with night and weekend work under permits and union agreements that raise both rate and fringe value.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a structural welder’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does structural welder pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Structural Welders sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify structural welder wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a structural welder actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Structural Welder Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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