Trades

Welder Salary in Washington (2026)

The average Welder in Washington earns around $60,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $50,390/year ($4,199/month).✓ No state income tax

Take-Home Pay Breakdown

CategoryAmount
Annual Take-Home Pay
$50,390
Monthly Take-Home Pay
$4,199
Biweekly Take-Home Pay
$1,938
Hourly Take-Home Pay

based on 2,080 hrs/year

$24/hr
Federal Tax
$5,020
State Tax
$0
FICA Taxes
$4,590
Effective Tax Rate

total taxes ÷ gross salary

16.02%
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

1099 contract work or side gigs? Self-employment tax adds 15.3% on top. Open the 1099 tax calculator

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Welder Salary Ranges in Washington

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

Washington's welder market is anchored by Boeing Commercial Airplanes (Everett + Renton final assembly, ~70K WA employees including substantial 737/777/787 welding and fabrication), Vigor Industrial (Seattle + Portland shipbuilding, ~2.5K employees including Naval Sea Systems Command Puget Sound contract welding), plus Bombardier Aerospace + smaller aerospace + marine fabrication, UA Local 32 Seattle pipefitter welding (industrial process piping), and the substantial Puget Sound Naval Shipyard cleared welding work at Bremerton. The 2025 OT deduction applies through 2028. WA has 0% state income tax.

Senior Aerospace Welder (Boeing)

$98,000–$165,000 w/OT

Boeing Everett 777/787/767 fabrication · Renton 737 · aerospace welding to AWS D17.1 specs · clearance premium

Senior Shipbuilding / Marine Welder

$92,000–$140,000 w/OT

Vigor Industrial Seattle · Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Bremerton · USN ship maintenance + repair

Senior Pipefitter / Pipe Welder (UA Local 32)

$98,000–$148,000 w/OT

Industrial process piping welding · Microsoft/Amazon data center · ASME B31.3 specialty premium

Senior Pressure Vessel / Boiler Welder

$95,000–$155,000 w/OT

BP Refinery Cherry Point · Anacortes refineries · ASME Section IX certs · refinery turnaround OT

Senior Structural Welder (Construction)

$82,000–$118,000 w/OT

Seattle + Bellevue commercial · Microsoft Redmond campus · Amazon Spheres · structural steel

Senior Nuclear Welder (Naval)

$108,000–$170,000 w/OT

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard nuclear submarine work · ASME Section IX + NAVSEA certifications · TS clearance

Welder (Mid-Level, 3-7 yrs)

$62,000–$88,000 w/OT

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

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

$42,000–$60,000

Bates Technical College Tacoma + Bellingham Technical · cert-in-progress · entry band

Welding Inspector (CWI / AWS)

$92,000–$140,000

AWS CWI · nuclear plant QC at WPPSS · Boeing aerospace QC · NDT specialty premium

Welding Engineer / Foreman

$98,000–$160,000

WPS development + procedure qualification · process engineering for fabrication shops

Worth knowing: Boeing Commercial Airplanes is the structural depth feature most national welder-market surveys understate for WA. Boeing Everett (the largest building in the world by volume, ~98M cubic feet, where 747/777/787 final assembly happens) plus Boeing Renton (737 final assembly) plus the Auburn fabrication facility together employ substantial aerospace welding workforce — Boeing is one of WA's largest single private employers at ~70K WA staff. Aerospace welders working AWS D17.1 spec aerospace welding plus FAA Part 21 certification clear $98-165K w/OT. Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Bremerton (one of four US Navy public shipyards, employs ~14K civilian + military, performs nuclear submarine + aircraft carrier maintenance) drives substantial cleared nuclear welding specialty work — TS clearance plus ASME Section IX plus NAVSEA certifications routinely clear $108-170K w/OT. Vigor Industrial (Seattle + Portland shipbuilding, ~2.5K employees) builds patrol boats, Coast Guard vessels, Army Corps tugs plus commercial barges. The 2025 No Tax on Overtime federal deduction applies through 2028 — at $25K OT premium produces ~$5,500 federal savings (no WA state offset since WA has 0% income tax). WA Cares Fund 0.58% capped at $870/year is the only WA state-level wage tax. WA's 0% state income tax + cleared aerospace welding premium creates the highest US after-tax welder comp by some measures.

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