- North Carolina ranks 37th of the 50 states and DC for median pay in this trade.
- North Carolina pays more than 3 of its 4 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 11,750 welders on payrolls in North Carolina.
- At the state median wage, a welding and fabrication shop needs to bill about $113.30 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Welder pay in North Carolina, bottom to top
BLS counts welders, cutters, solderers and brazers as one group. It covers people who join or cut metal with welding, cutting, soldering and brazing equipment, by hand or on machines, in shops, plants and on job sites.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.53 | $38,540 | $18.87 |
| 25th percentile | $21.83 | $45,400 | $22.50 |
| Median | $24.32 | $50,590 | $25.84 |
| 75th percentile | $29.26 | $60,870 | $30.29 |
| 90th percentile | $34.25 | $71,240 | $37.28 |
| Average (mean) | $25.83 | $53,720 | $27.29 |
From the bottom tenth ($18.53) to the top tenth ($34.25), the top of the scale pays about 1.8 times the bottom in North Carolina, close to the 2 times spread for welders nationwide.
Both ends trail the national figures. The bottom tenth earn $0.34 an hour less than the bottom tenth nationally, and the top tenth $3.03 less than the national top tenth.
The average, $25.83, is close to the median, so pay sits fairly evenly around the middle.
How North Carolina compares with other states
Over a full year, the North Carolina median of $50,590 is $3,160 less than the national $53,750.
In the state ranking, North Carolina sits 37th, between Florida ($24.35) and Idaho ($24.30). Rhode Island has exactly the same median, $24.32, so the two share that place. The range runs from $23.06 in Arkansas to $38.87 in Alaska.
Against its neighboring states, North Carolina is in the middle: Virginia pays more, and Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee pay less.
BLS wages are not adjusted for living costs. Lower pay often comes with lower housing costs, so the gap in take-home value can be smaller than the gap in wages.
Every state ranked, with the national pay range: national welder salary by state.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | $24.32 | $50,590 | |
| Georgia | $23.28 | $48,430 | −$1.04 an hour |
| South Carolina | $24.03 | $49,980 | −$0.29 an hour |
| Tennessee | $23.10 | $48,040 | −$1.22 an hour |
| Virginia | $28.45 | $59,180 | +$4.13 an hour |
How many welders work in North Carolina
About 11,750 welders work on payrolls in North Carolina, 2.8% of the 416,210 nationwide, the 14th largest count among the states.
That is 2.4 of every 1,000 jobs in North Carolina, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What a welding and fabrication shop in North Carolina should charge
A lower wage helps the price less than you might expect, because the overhead does not shrink with it. Here is a welding and fabrication shop in North Carolina paying the state median of $24.32, on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers: 40-hour weeks, 10 paid days off, 2 unbilled hours a day, 7.65% payroll taxes, $90,000 a year of overhead and 15% profit.
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours | 40 × 52 | 2,080 |
| Hours at work | 2,080 − 10 days × 8 | 2,000 |
| Billable hours | 2,000 × 6 ÷ 8 | 1,500 |
| Labor cost | $24.32 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $54,455 |
| Break-even rate | ($54,455 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $96.30 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $96.30 ÷ 0.85 | $113.30 |
That is $113.30 per billable hour, 4.7 times the wage, and $2.67 less than the $115.97 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $29.26 in North Carolina, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $121.97.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $21.83, the rate only drops to $108.93.
At this wage, overhead is most of the price: $60 of every billed hour goes to it before anyone is paid. Spreading the same overhead over more billable hours, with a second person or less drive time, brings the rate down fastest.
Run it with your own numbers in the labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Working as a welder in North Carolina
- Running the business. Quotes, invoices, booking and your website in one place: how welding and fabrication shops run on Koira.
- Getting found. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
The figures are the BLS state estimates for SOC 51-4121, welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers, across all industries, read straight from the May 2025 state data file. They cover wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Where BLS did not publish a figure, this page leaves it out.
All states in one table: welder salary by state.