How Much Does a Underwater Welder Make? (2024)
Welding · SOC Code 51-4121 · 5-year apprenticeship
The average underwater welder earns $54,982 per year ($26/hour) as of 2024, according to BLS data. Yearly income ranges from $48,340 to $64,510 depending on city, with entry-level workers earning about $49,210 and top earners making $88,200+.
Most underwater welders don't hit $100K — top-decile pay tops out at $88,200
The 90th-percentile underwater welder in Seattle, WA earns $88,200 per year ($42/hour). Workers who hit six figures in this trade are usually overtime-heavy industrial workers, foremen, or contractor-owners — those numbers sit outside what the BLS wage survey captures for typical W-2 employment.
National Salary Range
Underwater Welder salaries range from $48,340 to $64,510 median across cities, depending on location, union membership, and experience level.
Underwater Welder Salary by City
| City | Median | Range (10th-90th) | COL-Adjusted | Grade | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | $64,510 | $49,210 – $88,200 | $43,295 | D | 3,270 |
| San Francisco, CA | $63,890 | $49,620 – $102,200 | $33,626 | F | 1,940 |
| Boston, MA | $62,240 | $47,410 – $84,230 | $40,947 | D | 2,270 |
| Portland, OR | $60,940 | $47,330 – $82,930 | $46,877 | D | 3,010 |
| New York, NY | $60,840 | $41,550 – $96,590 | $32,535 | F | 4,930 |
| New Orleans, LA | $60,590 | $45,620 – $82,330 | $63,779 | C | 1,470 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $60,340 | $47,940 – $75,610 | $56,925 | C | 4,720 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $58,930 | $42,570 – $78,460 | $56,663 | C | 1,370 |
| Denver, CO | $58,700 | $46,200 – $77,080 | $45,859 | D | 1,730 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $58,200 | $45,330 – $89,180 | $35,060 | D | 7,560 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $57,520 | $40,000 – $79,410 | $55,308 | D | 950 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $57,370 | $47,690 – $65,440 | $59,760 | C | 4,020 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $56,110 | $41,560 – $74,030 | $48,791 | D | 4,030 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $54,650 | $42,750 – $83,110 | $53,058 | D | 5,670 |
| Raleigh, NC | $54,080 | $40,640 – $70,500 | $54,080 | D | 1,100 |
| Houston, TX | $53,810 | $36,700 – $79,410 | $56,052 | C | 17,750 |
| Charlotte, NC | $53,760 | $41,200 – $76,890 | $54,857 | D | 3,720 |
| Kansas City, MO | $52,920 | $41,530 – $74,580 | $56,298 | C | 2,420 |
| Miami, FL | $51,390 | $39,880 – $73,480 | $42,123 | D | 3,520 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $51,080 | $38,440 – $69,700 | $55,522 | C | 2,740 |
| Chicago, IL | $50,700 | $37,950 – $70,910 | $47,383 | D | 9,150 |
| Nashville, TN | $50,660 | $39,880 – $74,440 | $49,184 | D | 2,410 |
| Columbus, OH | $50,400 | $39,520 – $68,310 | $54,194 | D | 2,230 |
| St. Louis, MO | $50,280 | $37,500 – $69,020 | $55,867 | C | 3,000 |
| Detroit, MI | $50,250 | $38,500 – $76,370 | $56,461 | C | 5,240 |
| Atlanta, GA | $49,590 | $39,090 – $68,110 | $46,783 | D | 5,720 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $49,300 | $38,720 – $69,830 | $54,176 | D | 2,290 |
| Dallas, TX | $49,290 | $37,440 – $76,140 | $48,324 | D | 11,870 |
| Tampa, FL | $48,790 | $37,990 – $65,200 | $48,307 | D | 2,370 |
| San Antonio, TX | $48,340 | $35,270 – $73,580 | $53,711 | D | 2,340 |
About Underwater Welder Pay
Underwater Welders earn a national median salary of $54,982 based on 2024 BLS occupational wage data. The highest-paying city for this trade is Seattle at $64,510 median, while San Antonio offers the lowest at $48,340.
Becoming a underwater welder typically requires a 5-year apprenticeship program. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) can expect around $49,210, while master-level tradespeople (90th percentile) earn $88,200 or more. With 4% wage growth over the past 5 years, this trade is growing at a steady pace.
See how this compares to other trades on our highest paying trades ranking, or browse the best cities for trade workers.
Thinking about becoming a underwater welder?
Step-by-step path: 5-year apprenticeship, certifications, state licensing, and apprentice-to-master pay timeline.
Related Welding Trades
Frequently Asked Questions
Realistically, no — even the 90th-percentile underwater welder in the highest-paying metro (Seattle) tops out at $88,200, below $300K. National median underwater welder pay is $54,982. Outliers — overtime-heavy industrial work, union foremen, or contractor-owners — can reach those numbers, but they sit outside what the BLS wage survey captures for typical W-2 employment.
Realistically, no — even the 90th-percentile underwater welder in the highest-paying metro (Seattle) tops out at $88,200, below $500K. National median underwater welder pay is $54,982. Outliers — overtime-heavy industrial work, union foremen, or contractor-owners — can reach those numbers, but they sit outside what the BLS wage survey captures for typical W-2 employment.
Realistically, no — even the 90th-percentile underwater welder in the highest-paying metro (Seattle) tops out at $88,200, below $100K. National median underwater welder pay is $54,982. Outliers — overtime-heavy industrial work, union foremen, or contractor-owners — can reach those numbers, but they sit outside what the BLS wage survey captures for typical W-2 employment.
The highest-paying underwater welder jobs are in Seattle, WA, where the 90th percentile reaches $88,200 and the median is $64,510. The pay-driving specialties tend to be commercial diving and similar high-skill roles — workers who layer certifications and union membership on top of journeyman experience typically reach the 90th percentile within 10-15 years of entering the trade.
The average underwater welder salary is $54,982 per year ($26/hour) based on 2024 BLS OEWS data. Average yearly income ranges from $48,340 to $64,510 depending on city, experience, and union status.
Underwater Welders earn an average hourly wage of $26/hour based on a 2,080-hour work year. Entry-level (10th percentile) hourly pay is about $24/hour, while top earners (90th percentile) make $42/hour or more.
Seattle offers the highest median pay for underwater welders at $64,510. However, cost of living matters, the COL-adjusted pay may tell a different story. Check our city-by-city breakdown above.
With a Trade Pay Score of C and 4% wage growth over 5 years, underwater welder offers steady career prospects. There are approximately 124,810 jobs nationwide across 30 metro areas.
Becoming a underwater welder typically requires a 5-year apprenticeship program combining on-the-job training with classroom instruction. Entry-level pay starts around $49,210 (10th percentile).
Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) 2024. Trade Pay Scores are a composite of median wage vs. metro income, wage growth, job demand, and COL-adjusted pay.
For this entity, the underlying data on this page comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. The breakdown above is the federal record; the paragraphs below add the per-entity context that makes the headline numbers usable for a real decision rather than just a data lookup.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. trades, cities, and states. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.