Trades

Welder Salary in Massachusetts (2026)

The average Welder in Massachusetts earns around $60,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $47,610/year ($3,968/month).

Take-Home Pay Breakdown

CategoryAmount
Annual Take-Home Pay
$47,610
Monthly Take-Home Pay
$3,968
Biweekly Take-Home Pay
$1,831
Hourly Take-Home Pay

based on 2,080 hrs/year

$23/hr
Federal Tax
$5,020
State Tax
$2,780
FICA Taxes
$4,590
Effective Tax Rate

total taxes ÷ gross salary

20.65%
Estimates only — not tax advice. · Full disclaimer →

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Working overtime? The 2025 OBBBA deduction may save you up to $12,500 on federal tax. Open the No Tax on Overtime calculator

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Welder Salary Ranges in Massachusetts

Entry Level (0–3 yrs)

$40,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Mid Level (3–7 yrs)

$60,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Senior Level (7+ yrs)

$130,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Not all Welders earn the same — not even close

Massachusetts's welder market is anchored by Raytheon Technologies Waltham HQ (Fortune 100 defense, ~14K MA employees including substantial missile + radar welding), Boston Scientific HQ Marlborough (medical devices, ~13K MA employees including substantial precision welding for catheters + stents + implants), GE Aviation Lynn (~3K employees, jet engine + military engine welding), General Dynamics Quincy (legacy shipbuilding now ship repair + naval engineering), plus the substantial Cambridge biotech facility welding + commercial construction structural welding. UA Local 537 Boston covers pipefitter welding.

Senior Defense / Aerospace Welder

$98,000–$165,000 w/OT

Raytheon Waltham defense fabrication · GE Aviation Lynn jet engine · TS clearance premium

Senior Medical Device Welder (Boston Scientific)

$92,000–$145,000 w/OT

Boston Scientific Marlborough · Abbott + Medtronic MA · catheter + stent + implant precision welding

Senior Pipefitter / Pipe Welder (UA Local 537)

$95,000–$145,000 w/OT

Industrial process piping welding · biotech + pharma · cleanroom + chemical · ASME B31.3 specialty

Senior Pressure Vessel / Boiler Welder

$95,000–$155,000 w/OT

Hospital + university boilers · Eversource Energy · National Grid · ASME Section IX certs

Senior Structural Welder (Construction)

$85,000–$120,000 w/OT

Suffolk Construction · Skanska MA · structural steel · Boston commercial high-rise · life science lab build

Senior Shipbuilding / Marine Welder

$82,000–$118,000 w/OT

General Dynamics Quincy legacy + smaller shipyard work · Cape Cod marine welding · Coast Guard work

Welder (Mid-Level, 3-7 yrs)

$62,000–$88,000 w/OT

Functional welder at MA commercial + industrial sites · post-cert journeyman track

Apprentice / Entry-Level Welder (0-2 yrs)

$42,000–$58,000

Bunker Hill CC + Quincy College + Mass Bay CC + Lincoln Tech welding programs · cert in progress

Welding Inspector (CWI / AWS)

$92,000–$140,000

AWS Certified Welding Inspector · construction QC + medical device QC + NDT specialty premium

Welding Engineer / Foreman

$98,000–$165,000

WPS development + procedure qualification · process engineering for fabrication shops

Worth knowing: The Massachusetts defense + medical device + aerospace welding ecosystem is the structural depth feature most national welder-market surveys understate. Raytheon Technologies Waltham HQ (RTX, Fortune 100 defense, ~14K MA employees) operates substantial missile + radar fabrication welding work — F-15 + F-18 + F-35 sensor components + Patriot + AMRAAM + SM-3 + SM-6 missile assemblies all require precision welding to AWS D17.1 aerospace standards plus DoD security clearance premium. Senior cleared defense welders $98-165K w/OT plus TS clearance premium. Boston Scientific HQ Marlborough (Fortune 500 medical device, ~13K MA employees) operates one of the country's most precise medical device welding workforces — laser welding + resistance welding for catheters + stents + cardiac implants requires sub-100-micron tolerance work to FDA Class III medical device standards. Senior medical device welders at Boston Scientific + Medtronic MA + Abbott MA clear $92-145K w/OT. GE Aviation Lynn (~3K employees, ~125-year-old jet engine manufacturing facility — currently produces F-414 fighter engine + commercial CFM engine components) anchors aerospace welding. The Cambridge biotech facility welding work (cleanroom process piping + bioreactor + pharma manufacturing equipment welding) commands biotech specialty premium. The 2025 No Tax on Overtime federal deduction applies through 2028 — at $25K OT premium produces ~$5,500 federal + ~$1,250 MA = ~$6,750 cumulative. MA combined effective at senior welder comp ($120K) is 5% flat.

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