Hardworking Welders want every dollar they earn to take them as far as possible. Xemplar Tradesmen Recruiting asked the question: “Which cities of the top 50 metropolitan areas are the best or worst paying when you take into account the cost of living?”
We used average pay rate information from Indeed and cost of living index data from Best Places and adjusted the average pay rate upwards or downwards based on the cost of living index. For example, if the average pay rate in City ABC is $20 per hour and the cost of living index is 125 (which means the city costs 25% more than the average cost of living), the adjusted pay rate will be $16.00 (or $20 divided by 1.25). If the average pay rate in CIty XYZ is $20 per hour and cost of living index is 75 (which means the city costs 25% less than the average cost of living), the adjusted pay rate will be $26.67 (or $20 divided by 0.75).
The idea behind the study is that a dollar earned in a more expensive city is worth less than a dollar earned in a less expensive city. At two extremes, $20 dollars earned in San Francisco, California with a cost of living index of 269.3 is equivalent to $7.43 in purchasing power (i.e. buying food, paying rent, etc.), while $20 dollars earned in Cleveland, Ohio with a cost of living index of 72.6 is actually equivalent to $27.55 in purchasing power.
From its data set, Xemplar Tradesmen Recruiting has assembled a list of the adjusted pay levels for Welders below in the top 50 largest metropolitan areas in the United States.
The results will surprise you! With 50 cities, adjusted average hourly pay levels range from $8.98 all the way up to $30.86. You might expect the most expensive cities to provide the least value to its Welders, but that is not the case.
Below, see the best and worst major U.S. cities to make a living as a Welder, ranked from worst to best.
Population: 4,727,357
Average Welder Pay Rate: $24.19
Cost of Living Index: 269.30
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $8.98
Population: 1,998,463
Average Welder Pay Rate: $25.77
Cost of Living Index: 214.50
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $12.01
Population: 4,580,670
Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.01
Cost of Living Index: 133.10
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $12.78
Population: 13,353,907
Average Welder Pay Rate: $22.7
Cost of Living Index: 173.30
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $13.10
Population: 20,320,876
Average Welder Pay Rate: $24.22
Cost of Living Index: 178.20
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $13.59
Population: 6,158,824
Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.78
Cost of Living Index: 123.10
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $13.63
Population: 3,867,046
Average Welder Pay Rate: $24.32
Cost of Living Index: 172.30
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $14.11
Population: 2,115,827
Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.74
Cost of Living Index: 119.30
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $14.87
Population: 2,453,168
Average Welder Pay Rate: $20.39
Cost of Living Index: 130.80
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $15.59
Population: 4,836,531
Average Welder Pay Rate: $26.2
Cost of Living Index: 162.40
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $16.13
Population: 5,884,736
Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.47
Cost of Living Index: 107.50
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $16.25
Population: 1,203,105
Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.61
Cost of Living Index: 118.90
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $16.49
Population: 1,335,079
Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.12
Cost of Living Index: 102.30
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $16.74
Population: 2,888,227
Average Welder Pay Rate: $21.97
Cost of Living Index: 128.70
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $17.07
Population: 2,473,974
Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.32
Cost of Living Index: 89.70
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $17.08
Population: 2,509,831
Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.99
Cost of Living Index: 104.10
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $17.28
Population: 2,324,884
Average Welder Pay Rate: $20.67
Cost of Living Index: 118.20
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $17.49
Population: 6,216,589
Average Welder Pay Rate: $26.75
Cost of Living Index: 152.10
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $17.59
Population: 3,091,399
Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.61
Cost of Living Index: 100.10
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $17.59
Population: 3,337,685
Average Welder Pay Rate: $28.61
Cost of Living Index: 160.10
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $17.87
Population: 7,399,662
Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.33
Cost of Living Index: 101.60
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $18.04
Population: 4,737,270
Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.03
Cost of Living Index: 103.70
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $18.35
Population: 3,600,618
Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.58
Cost of Living Index: 106.50
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $18.38
Population: 2,525,305
Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.43
Cost of Living Index: 98.90
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $18.63
Population: 1,294,204
Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.73
Cost of Living Index: 95.10
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $18.64
Population: 6,892,427
Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.12
Cost of Living Index: 96.50
Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.78
Population: 9,533,040
Average Welder Pay Rate: $21.12
Cost of Living Index: 106.90
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $19.76
Population: 1,383,737
Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.02
Cost of Living Index: 85.40
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $19.93
Population: 2,204,079
Average Welder Pay Rate: $22.32
Cost of Living Index: 111.60
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $20.00
Population: 1,293,953
Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.06
Cost of Living Index: 88.40
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $20.43
Population: 1,504,980
Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.24
Cost of Living Index: 93.50
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $20.58
Population: 1,903,045
Average Welder Pay Rate: $21.54
Cost of Living Index: 101.40
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $21.24
Population: 2,078,725
Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.54
Cost of Living Index: 85.50
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $21.68
Population: 2,807,338
Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.72
Cost of Living Index: 81.30
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $21.80
16. Pittsburgh, PA
Population: 2,333,367
Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.48
Cost of Living Index: 87.50
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $22.26
Population: 2,058,844
Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.18
Cost of Living Index: 72.60
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $22.29
Population: 4,313,002
Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.61
Cost of Living Index: 87.60
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $22.39
Population: 2,028,614
Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.79
Cost of Living Index: 83.50
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $22.50
Population: 2,179,082
Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.39
Cost of Living Index: 84.60
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $22.92
Population: 1,576,236
Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.56
Cost of Living Index: 84.90
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $23.04
Population: 1,136,856
Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.39
Cost of Living Index: 79.50
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $23.13
Population: 6,096,120
Average Welder Pay Rate: $23.99
Cost of Living Index: 101.20
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $23.71
Population: 2,128,912
Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.44
Cost of Living Index: 81.60
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $23.82
Population: 2,808,175
Average Welder Pay Rate: $21.4
Cost of Living Index: 88.20
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $24.26
Population: 1,725,246
Average Welder Pay Rate: $22.41
Cost of Living Index: 88.40
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $25.35
Population: 1,621,122
Average Welder Pay Rate: $27.28
Cost of Living Index: 105.10
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $25.96
Population: 1,210,259
Average Welder Pay Rate: $24.66
Cost of Living Index: 93.90
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $26.26
Population: 1,275,762
Average Welder Pay Rate: $23.06
Cost of Living Index: 87.70
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $26.29
Population: 1,348,260
Average Welder Pay Rate: $20.7
Cost of Living Index: 76.00
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $27.24
Population: 1,149,807
Average Welder Pay Rate: $22.87
Cost of Living Index: 74.10
Average Cost-of-Living Adjusted Welder Pay Rate: $30.86
Xemplar Tradesmen Recruiting is a specialty industrial staffing and recruiting company focused on the permanent placement of machinists, welders, technicians, mechanics, fabricators, electricians, precision assemblers, quality inspectors and related positions. We match top trades professionals with best-in-class industrial employers and reduce cost-per-hire through a service proven to be 2x-plus more effective than traditional temp-to-hire staffing. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, Xemplar Tradesmen Recruiting provides nationwide support to its clients’ locations. Learn more about Xemplar Tradesmen Recruiting here.