Pipe Welder Salary: Raleigh-Cary, NC
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The median annual wage for Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC was $56,940 in May 2025 (BLS). The middle half of workers earned between $47,190 and $60,980.
Broader occupation Our title "Pipe Welder" is reported by BLS as SOC 51-4121 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers. BLS groups Pipe Welder within Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately.
The Raleigh-Cary, NC median is $3,190 above the national median of $53,750 (5.9%).
Annual wages
Pipe Welder, Raleigh-Cary, NC, annual wages: 10% earned less than $40,460, half earned less than the median of $56,940, 90% earned less than $71,800 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $40,460 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $47,190 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $56,940 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $60,980 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $71,800 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $55,690 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Hourly wages
Pipe Welder, Raleigh-Cary, NC, hourly wages: 10% earned less than $19.45, half earned less than the median of $27.37, 90% earned less than $34.52 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Hourly wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $19.45 per hour | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $22.69 per hour | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $27.37 per hour | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $29.32 per hour | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $34.52 per hour | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $26.77 per hour | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
National comparison
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,240 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $46,790 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $53,750 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $63,010 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $77,530 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $56,760 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 51-4121 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, Raleigh-Cary, NC.
What BLS wages include. Base pay plus any guaranteed or production-based incentive pay. They leave out overtime, discretionary bonus, benefits, per diem and relocation.
BLS definitions, verbatim
wages
Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
hours
Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly wages by 2,080 hours; for occupations where hourly wages are not published, annual wages were taken directly from the reported survey data.
Which related roles have a different BLS occupation?
A supervisory occupation is not an experience percentile for the craft. Compare the actual responsibilities and the published SOC.
Pipefitter Foreman (47-1011)Welding Foreman (51-1011)Pipe Fabrication Shop Foreman (49-1011)Pipefitting General Foreman (47-1011)Pipefitting Superintendent (11-9021)What do these published wages mean for an offer?
Skilled Trades Headhunters reads the May 2025 figures for Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC as an offer reference, not a quote for a particular candidate. For Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC, the published median for SOC 51-4121, Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, is $56,940 per year. The middle half of the Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC wage distribution runs from $47,190 to $60,980, a width of $13,790 per year; that spread shows how much published pay varies within the occupation and area, without assigning experience levels.
Against the United States estimate, the Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC median is $3,190 above the national median of $53,750. For Pipe Welder, Goldsboro, NC reports $48,320 per year, $8,620 below Raleigh-Cary, NC; For Pipe Welder, Rocky Mount, NC reports $49,600 per year, $7,340 below Raleigh-Cary, NC. The neighbors used for Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC are the nearest metro representative points with a released median, using Census geography, not a commuting or cost-of-living adjustment.
The highest published medians among the selected national industry rows for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, read alongside Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC, are Air Transportation at $137,730 per year (NAICS 481000); Scheduled Air Transportation at $137,730 per year (NAICS 481100); Other Pipeline Transportation at $106,170 per year (NAICS 486900). Those Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC industry comparisons are national cross-sections, not local industry estimates; BLS does not give us a metro-by-industry wage cut here, and overlapping industry groups should not be added together.
The Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC median was $54,080 per year in May 2024, compared with $56,940 in May 2025, a published difference of $2,860. That Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC comparison is between separate BLS releases, not the raise paid to the same workers or a projection of next year's offer. Read the $54,080 and $56,940 Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC estimates with both dates visible, because the employers and workers represented by the survey can change.
Before offering $56,940 per year for Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC, separate overtime, per diem, lodging and mobilization separately; prevailing wage obligations and union scale depend on the assignment and agreement, not a special BLS traveling-worker percentile. The Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC BLS comparison includes ordinary wages and qualifying incentive pay, but leaves overtime, discretionary bonuses, benefits and relocation outside this wage figure. A candidate's take-home pay and the employer's total cost for Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC can therefore differ from the median without either number being an error.
The mapping for Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC is broader: BLS groups Pipe Welder within Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately. When calibrating a Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC opening, the work checks include 6G cert (TIG root, stick fill/cap), ASME Section IX, X-ray pass rate; ask for evidence of that scope instead of using a percentile as a substitute for qualification. A broader occupation can combine jobs that a Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC buyer would screen separately, which is why the badge and SOC remain beside the figures.
Questions about this occupation and area
What does the middle-half band tell a Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC buyer?
Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC has a published middle-half band of $47,190 to $60,980, a width of $13,790 per year, with median $56,940. An offer inside that Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC band is not automatically competitive for every scope; match the required work and the separate pay terms first.
Which areas should I compare before hiring Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC?
Goldsboro, NC and Rocky Mount, NC are the nearest published metro reference points used for Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC. Comparing those Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers tables with the $56,940 Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC median does not measure commuting costs or predict what a particular applicant will accept.
Are the industry figures local to Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC?
Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC uses national industry rows for SOC 51-4121, not local sector-specific wages. Air Transportation leads the selected sortable rows at $137,730 per year, but that national industry figure is not a quoted offer for Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC.
What changed between the releases for Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC?
Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC moved from $54,080 in May 2024 to $56,940 in May 2025. These Pipe Welder in Raleigh-Cary, NC published medians do not describe an individual raise or establish a future wage trend.
What changed since May 2024
SOC 51-4121. Published annual median: $54,080 (May 2024) and $56,940 (May 2025). These are two BLS releases, not a projection.