How Much Do Welders Make in California?
California welders earned a median of $58,060 a year in May 2025, or $27.91 an hour, above the national median of $53,750. Most earn between $44,520 (10th percentile) and $81,940 (90th percentile). The best-paying metros are in the Bay Area, led by San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont at a $64,320 median, while Visalia sits at the bottom at $46,850.
A welder in California earned a median of $58,060 a year in May 2025, which works out to $27.91 an hour. The national median for the same job was $53,750, so California pays better than the country as a whole. The state employed 26,060 welders, cutters, solderers and brazers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
That single number hides a wide range. Where you live, how long you have been welding and what kind of work you move into all shift your pay. This guide breaks the state figure apart so you can see what to expect in your part of California.
The Pay Ladder From First Job to Top Earner
BLS reports pay at several points on the scale. Here is how California compares with the national figures for May 2025.
| Point on the scale | California | United States |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $44,520 | $39,240 |
| 25th percentile | $48,480 | $46,790 |
| Median | $58,060 | $53,750 |
| Mean (average) | $61,120 | $56,760 |
| 75th percentile | $70,400 | $63,010 |
| 90th percentile | $81,940 | $77,530 |
| Hourly median | $27.91 | $25.84 |
Read the bottom rows as your starting point. If you are fresh out of a certificate program, pay near $44,520 to $48,480 is realistic. The median welder has a few years in and holds a steady job. The top tenth, at $81,940 and up, usually means code work, pipe, travel, overtime or a union scale.
California pay runs ahead of the national figure at every point on the scale, including the bottom, which helps when you are new.
Welder Pay in All 25 California Metro Areas
This is the full list of California metro areas BLS reported for welders in May 2025, highest median first.
| Metro area | Median | Hourly median | 10th percentile | 90th percentile | Welders employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $64,320 | $30.93 | $48,010 | $99,930 | 1,990 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $64,140 | $30.84 | $49,130 | $92,310 | 1,050 |
| Vallejo | $63,860 | $30.70 | $46,550 | $87,730 | 280 |
| Napa | $62,890 | $30.24 | $44,580 | $87,480 | 70 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $62,560 | $30.08 | $46,700 | $82,470 | 2,940 |
| El Centro | $58,350 | $28.06 | $38,280 | $90,930 | 70 |
| Salinas | $58,240 | $28.00 | $39,920 | $89,330 | 200 |
| Bakersfield-Delano | $57,360 | $27.58 | $38,020 | $78,710 | 800 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | $57,290 | $27.55 | $47,220 | $79,950 | 1,530 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | $56,720 | $27.27 | $46,260 | $85,900 | 260 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $56,160 | $27.00 | $44,530 | $79,870 | 7,850 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | $54,560 | $26.23 | $40,690 | $80,120 | 580 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | $53,280 | $25.62 | $42,240 | $81,070 | 180 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | $52,800 | $25.39 | $40,730 | $80,090 | 170 |
| Modesto | $52,590 | $25.29 | $42,850 | $75,670 | 450 |
| Redding | $52,450 | $25.21 | $39,070 | $77,860 | 100 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $52,050 | $25.02 | $43,970 | $76,410 | 3,810 |
| Stockton-Lodi | $51,480 | $24.75 | $41,600 | $74,280 | 740 |
| Yuba City | $51,040 | $24.54 | $38,700 | $93,950 | 90 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | $50,840 | $24.44 | $40,080 | $81,580 | 90 |
| Fresno | $50,550 | $24.30 | $42,850 | $73,730 | 950 |
| Merced | $50,340 | $24.20 | $43,330 | $62,530 | 310 |
| Chico | $48,740 | $23.44 | $39,520 | $67,040 | 160 |
| Hanford-Corcoran | $47,520 | $22.85 | $41,850 | $76,470 | 60 |
| Visalia | $46,850 | $22.52 | $37,440 | $71,960 | 350 |
What the Metro Table Tells You
The Bay Area pays the most. San Francisco, San Jose, Vallejo and Napa hold four of the top five medians. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont’s 90th percentile of $99,930 is the highest ceiling in the state. Living costs there are high too, so weigh rent before you move for the wage.
San Diego is the best-paying big market in the south. Its $62,560 median sits well above Los Angeles, and it employs 2,940 welders.
Los Angeles has the jobs, not the top pay. The LA metro employs 7,850 welders, far more than any other California area, at a $56,160 median. Plenty of openings can matter more than a higher median when you need your first job.
Small metros can have high ceilings. Yuba City’s median is $51,040, but its 90th percentile reaches $93,950. El Centro shows the same pattern at $90,930. A few well-paid specialty jobs in a small market pull the top end up.
The Central Valley pays the least. Fresno, Merced, Chico, Hanford-Corcoran and Visalia all sit near or below $50,550. Living costs are lower there, and training is cheap and close by.
Why the Job Count Matters as Much as the Median
California is a huge state, but welding is a smaller slice of its workforce than in most of the country. BLS gives California welders a location quotient of 0.53, which means welders make up about half the share of jobs here that they do nationally.
For you, that has two practical effects. First, the openings cluster in a handful of places: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (7,850 welders), Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario (3,810), San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad (2,940), San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont (1,990) and Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom (1,530). Outside those metros, many areas count their welders in the dozens or low hundreds. Napa and El Centro each list 70.
Second, a small market can swing. When only 90 welders work in an area, as in Yuba City or Santa Cruz-Watsonville, one employer hiring or closing moves the local numbers. If you train in a small metro, plan on a commute or a move to reach the bigger job pools.
Where to Train Near the Better-Paying Metros
If you plan to work in a higher-paying area, it helps to train there too. You build contacts in the market where you plan to work, and you skip a second move.
Bay Area. Chabot College in Hayward offers a welding AS and an Inspection and Pipe Welding certificate. Laney College is in Oakland, and Las Positas College in Livermore prepares you for the American Welding Society certification test. For the Vallejo and Napa metros, look at Solano Community College in Fairfield and Napa Valley College, which is an AWS Educational Institution Member.
San Diego. CET-San Diego runs a 900-hour Welding Fabrication certificate at 30 hours a week, usually finished in 8 to 9 months, and conferred 88 welding awards in 2024–25.
Los Angeles. Cerritos College in Norwalk conferred 278 welding awards in 2024–25, the most in California, and trains for AWS, ASME, API and state certifications. Los Angeles Trade Technical College is a Certified Welding Test Center, so you can test on site. Browse the Los Angeles welding schools page or, for the east side of the county, the Covina welding schools page.
Sacramento. American River College conferred 116 welding awards and meets AWS standards for accredited test facilities. See the Arden-Arcade welding schools page for nearby programs.
If cost is your first concern, the companion guide on welding school cost in California lists tuition and books at every school.
Jobs That Build on Welding Skills
Welding is also a starting point. These related jobs pay differently in California, based on May 2025 BLS figures for each occupation.
| Career | California median | 90th percentile | Employed in California |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welding engineer | $130,850 | $212,130 | 28,610 |
| Welding sales representative | $124,220 | $214,040 | 27,590 |
| Millwright | $77,950 | $127,890 | 2,230 |
| Welding supervisor | $76,840 | $125,440 | 48,550 |
| Welding instructor (CWE) | $76,630 | $168,680 | 11,040 |
| Ironworker | $76,370 | $118,030 | 7,110 |
| Welding inspector | $54,300 | $88,210 | 61,130 |
| Robotic welding technician | $48,940 | $69,760 | 2,290 |
Note that several of these are broad BLS groups. The engineer, sales, supervisor and inspector rows cover many fields beyond welding, so their employment counts are much larger than the welding share.
The most direct climbs for a working welder are supervisor, ironworker and millwright, each paying a higher median than welding itself in California. Teaching is another path: California welding instructors earned a $76,630 median. Robotic welding technicians earned a $48,940 median, below the welder figure, so treat robotics as an added skill rather than a pay jump on its own.
How to Move Up the Pay Scale
The gap between the bottom and top of the welder scale in California comes down to a few things you can control.
- Get certified for code work. Structural work in Los Angeles runs through city welding license testing. Mt. San Antonio College, Rio Hondo College and College of the Canyons all test for the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Read more about welding certification.
- Learn pipe. Pipe is a separate skill from plate, and many California programs teach it as its own certificate. Programs such as Fresno City College offer a Pipe and Structural Steel option.
- Be willing to move within the state. Moving from the Central Valley to the Bay Area or San Diego changes your pay band, though it also changes your rent.
- Add inspection skills later. Cosumnes River College offers a focus course that prepares you for the Certified Welding Inspector exam.
For the full picture of the trade, read about what a welder does, check how California compares on the national welder salary table, and see every ranked program on the California welding schools page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Do Entry-Level Welders Earn in California?
The lowest-paid 10 percent of California welders earned $44,520 or less in May 2025, and a quarter earned $48,480 or less. Those figures are a fair guide to starting pay.
Which California City Pays Welders the Most?
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont had the highest welder median in May 2025 at $64,320, just ahead of San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara at $64,140 and Vallejo at $63,860.
How Many Welders Work in California?
BLS counted 26,060 welders, cutters, solderers and brazers in California in May 2025. The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro alone employed 7,850.
Do Welding Inspectors Make More Than Welders in California?
At the median, not by much: inspectors, testers and sorters earned $54,300 in May 2025, but the top tenth earned $88,210 or more, above the welder figure of $81,940.
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