Costs
How much does it cost to hire a welder?
Short answer: the official May 2025 national median wage for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers is $25.84 an hour ($53,750.00 a year). On a 40-hour, 2,080-hour year at that median, wages are $53,747.20 and federal employer payroll taxes are $4,153.66. Official new-employer state unemployment tax on that wage ranges from $112.50 in Nebraska to $1,289.93 in Hawaii among states with a published rate, so employer payroll taxes total $4,266.16 to $5,443.59 before workers’ comp. Local pay will differ from the national median, and this page does not invent a national insurance rate.
Key takeaways
- Official May 2025 OEWS figures for Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers (51-4121): median $25.84 an hour, mean $27.29 an hour, annual mean $56,760.00, employment 416,210. Source: official OEWS profile for Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers (51-4121), also listed in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- Federal employer taxes on $53,747.20 of wages are $4,153.66: $3,332.33 Social Security, $779.33 Medicare, and $42.00 net FUTA (IRS Publication 15, IRS Topic 751, IRS Topic 759).
- Official 2026 new-employer SUTA on this wage ranges from $112.50 (Nebraska) to $1,289.93 (Hawaii) among states with a published rate in the DOL January 2026 table. See the state payroll-tax index.
On this page
Prefill the calculator Opens at the official BLS median of $25.84 an hour and 40 hours. Choose your state for the official unemployment wage base, and add a workers’ comp quote.
Open the calculator with this wageOfficial BLS pay for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
The wage used in the table is the official national median hourly wage of $25.84. The official annual median wage is $53,750.00. The official mean is $27.29 an hour, or $56,760.00 a year. Those figures are national and include experienced leads and newer hires; your market may be higher or lower. They are a planning baseline, not a wage you must offer.
Employer payroll taxes on that median wage
| Line (one year at the official national median) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Wages at the official median ($25.84/hour × 2,080) | $53,747.20 |
| Employer Social Security (6.2%) | $3,332.33 |
| Employer Medicare (1.45%) | $779.33 |
| FUTA (0.6% net, first $7,000) | $42.00 |
| State unemployment tax, official published new-employer range (Nebraska–Hawaii) | $112.50–$1,289.93 |
| Employer payroll taxes, federal plus official SUTA range | $4,266.16–$5,443.59 |
| Workers’ compensation | Local quote; no national rate invented |
Workers’ comp, overtime, benefits, and payroll tools are left out on purpose. Insurance is priced by class and state; see workers’ comp cost for a first employee. Overtime, when it applies, follows the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Official state unemployment examples
| Official new-employer SUTA example | SUTA | Federal + SUTA |
|---|---|---|
| Indiana (2.50% on first $9,500) | $237.50 | $4,391.16 |
| Texas (2.70% on first $9,000) | $243.00 | $4,396.66 |
| Florida (2.70% on first $7,000) | $189.00 | $4,342.66 |
Those three states are shown because this site already documents their official new-employer rates. Your state may differ; use the calculator or the state index rather than copying an example from a state you do not operate in.
What is different about hiring a welder
The official occupation is welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers. Shop production welding, field structural work, and pipe welding can pay very different rates even though they share a national median. Certifications (for example, a process or position qualification a customer requires) can justify a higher wage; this page does not invent a certification premium.
A small fabrication shop hiring its first W-2 welder still pays the same federal employer taxes as any other trade. Field work may change the workers’ comp class and whether travel time is hours worked. Get the class and rate from a quote. If the person currently invoices you as a contractor, read W-2 vs 1099 cost for trades before you decide the form.
Related trade pages: roofer, painter, carpenter, or the overall first-hire cost guide.
Change the wage or hours The official median is a starting point. Enter what you will actually pay.
Open the calculatorFrequently asked questions
How much does it cost to hire a welder?
Using the official May 2025 BLS median wage of $25.84 an hour, a 2,080-hour year is $53,747.20 in wages and $4,153.66 in federal employer payroll taxes, plus official state unemployment tax of $112.50 to $1,289.93 among states with a published new-employer rate, before workers' comp. Local pay and insurance change the total.
What is the official BLS wage for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers?
The May 2025 OEWS national figures are a median of $25.84 an hour, a mean of $27.29 an hour, and an annual mean of $56,760.00, with employment of 416,210.
Does this welder wage include pipe welders and shop welders?
The official OEWS occupation includes welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers across industries. It is a national blend. Use a local wage if your work is a specialized process or a field rate that clearly differs from the median.
Figures on this page were checked against the linked official IRS, DOL, USCIS, ACF, and (where used) Indiana ICRB pages in November 2026. Examples are planning estimates, not a tax, legal, or insurance outcome. Confirm with your agencies, accountant, and carrier before you hire or classify a worker.