Welder Salary in Washington (2026)

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 OBBBA No Tax on Overtime federal deduction applies through 2028 — at $25K OT premium a single filer's deduction caps at $12,500, about $2,750 at 22% (up to about $5,500 on a joint return's $25,000 cap) (Washington has no income tax, so there is no state piece). 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.