Welder salary in Delaware
Median $27.54 an hour for 600 welders, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.
Welder pay in Delaware: the full range
Delaware ranks 25th of 51 states for median welder pay, and 24th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $27.60). 600 welders work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.7× what the bottom 10% earn.
| Career stage (approximate) | Hourly | Annual | Where it sits in the distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $21.90 – $23.96 | $45,550 – $49,830 | roughly the 10th to 25th percentile |
| Journeyman | $23.96 – $29.63 | $49,830 – $61,630 | the middle half, around the median |
| Master, foreman or specialist | $29.63 – $36.33 | $61,630 – $75,560 | the 75th to 90th percentile and above |
Where does your pay fall?
Welder pay by metro in Delaware
| Metro | 10th | Median $/hr | Cost-of-living adjusted | 90th | Jobs | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | $21.36 | $28.07 | $27.36 | $38.44 | 4,630 | 2% above |
| Dover | $18.92 | $23.32 | $23.92 | $36.55 | 90 | 15% below |
Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).
Welder wages in Delaware over time
Table
| Year | Delaware $/hr | In 2025 $ | US $/hr | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | $16.12 | $31.15 | $12.58 | 470 |
| 2000 | $16.14 | $30.18 | $13.13 | 610 |
| 2001 | $16.37 | $29.76 | $13.70 | 640 |
| 2002 | $16.79 | $30.05 | $14.02 | 670 |
| 2003 | $16.80 | $29.39 | $14.25 | 630 |
| 2004 | $16.03 | $27.32 | $14.72 | 560 |
| 2005 | $16.26 | $26.80 | $14.90 | 740 |
| 2006 | $16.25 | $25.95 | $15.10 | 720 |
| 2007 | $17.28 | $26.83 | $15.51 | 720 |
| 2008 | $18.74 | $28.02 | $16.13 | 530 |
| 2009 | $19.00 | $28.51 | $16.71 | 490 |
| 2010 | $18.55 | $27.39 | $17.04 | 480 |
| 2011 | $19.01 | $27.21 | $17.27 | 420 |
| 2012 | $20.62 | $28.91 | $17.45 | 460 |
| 2013 | $21.74 | $30.04 | $17.66 | 410 |
| 2014 | $22.99 | $31.26 | $17.99 | 490 |
| 2015 | $22.57 | $30.66 | $18.34 | 500 |
| 2016 | $23.62 | $31.68 | $18.94 | 420 |
| 2017 | $23.18 | $30.44 | $19.35 | 630 |
| 2018 | $24.74 | $31.72 | $19.89 | 700 |
| 2019 | $26.55 | $33.43 | $20.43 | 700 |
| 2020 | $25.82 | $32.12 | $21.25 | 600 |
| 2021 | $23.18 | $27.54 | $22.60 | 570 |
| 2022 | $24.40 | $26.84 | $22.86 | 600 |
| 2023 | $26.28 | $27.77 | $23.53 | 730 |
| 2024 | $27.17 | $27.88 | $24.52 | 510 |
| 2025 | $27.54 | $27.54 | $25.84 | 600 |
In today's dollars, the median welder wage in Delaware changed by -10.2% over the last ten years of data and by -17.6% since 2019.
Are there more welder jobs in Delaware?
BLS counted 600 welders in Delaware in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 10%. With fewer than 3,000 jobs or a wide margin of error, year-to-year changes are within the survey's noise and are not shown as a trend.
Outlook for welders in Delaware
Delaware's labor market agency projects the number of welders in the state to change by +9.1% between 2024 and 2034, from 560 to 610, with about 60 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +2.4% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed and use a different base year, so they do not match the 600 counted by the BLS employer survey.
Source: Delaware labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page).
Is construction work growing in Delaware?
Keep comparing
Welder pay in neighbouring states
Other trades in Delaware
- Electrician
- Plumber
- HVAC technician
- Lineman
- Carpenter
- Diesel mechanic
- Crane operator
- Heavy equipment operator
More on Delaware
Questions this page answers
How much do welders make in Delaware?
The median welder in Delaware earned $27.54 an hour ($57,270 a year) in May 2025, 7% above the national median of $25.84. The middle half earn $23.96–$29.63; the top 10% earn more than $36.33.
Where does Delaware rank for welder pay?
Delaware ranks 25th of 51 states for welder pay, with a median of $27.54 an hour, and 24th after adjusting for Delaware's cost of living (BEA price parity 99.8, US = 100).
What is the union welder rate in Delaware?
Davis-Bacon determinations do not list a welder classification for most Delaware counties, or the trade is not covered; the BLS wage figures above are the best available measure.
How many welders work in Delaware?
BLS counted 600 welders in Delaware in May 2025, 1.2 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.46; 1.0 is the national average concentration).
Is welder work growing in Delaware?
Delaware's labor market agency projects +9.1% growth for welders between 2024 and 2034, from 560 to 610 jobs.
How many welder openings a year are there in Delaware?
Delaware projects about 60 openings a year for welders over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 40,300 a year.
Sources and notes
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Delaware and metro areas, SOC 51-4121. Job counts are survey estimates and exclude the self-employed.
- BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-09.
- BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (cost-of-living adjustment).
- SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Not the official determination.
- BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
- State projection: Delaware labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.