Welder salary in Maine
Median $29.92 an hour for 1,690 welders, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.
Welder pay in Maine: the full range
Maine ranks 9th of 51 states for median welder pay, and 7th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $30.85). 1,690 welders work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.6× what the bottom 10% earn.
| Career stage (approximate) | Hourly | Annual | Where it sits in the distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $22.71 – $24.90 | $47,230 – $51,800 | roughly the 10th to 25th percentile |
| Journeyman | $24.90 – $33.24 | $51,800 – $69,130 | the middle half, around the median |
| Master, foreman or specialist | $33.24 – $36.64 | $69,130 – $76,220 | the 75th to 90th percentile and above |
Where does your pay fall?
Welder pay by metro in Maine
| Metro | 10th | Median $/hr | Cost-of-living adjusted | 90th | Jobs | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | $24.94 | $31.93 | $31.33 | $37.90 | 1,060 | 7% above |
| Lewiston | $22.32 | $26.69 | $28.18 | $34.53 | 80 | 11% below |
| Bangor | $20.76 | $24.32 | $25.20 | $34.04 | 140 | 19% below |
Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).
Welder wages in Maine over time
Table
| Year | Maine $/hr | In 2025 $ | US $/hr | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | $13.96 | $26.98 | $12.58 | 2,150 |
| 2000 | $14.15 | $26.45 | $13.13 | 1,930 |
| 2001 | $14.90 | $27.09 | $13.70 | 1,680 |
| 2002 | $15.46 | $27.67 | $14.02 | 1,520 |
| 2003 | $16.27 | $28.47 | $14.25 | 1,590 |
| 2004 | $16.81 | $28.65 | $14.72 | 1,820 |
| 2005 | $16.75 | $27.61 | $14.90 | 1,720 |
| 2006 | $15.82 | $25.26 | $15.10 | 1,260 |
| 2007 | $18.28 | $28.38 | $15.51 | 1,610 |
| 2008 | $18.72 | $27.99 | $16.13 | 1,740 |
| 2009 | $16.84 | $25.27 | $16.71 | 1,340 |
| 2010 | $18.85 | $27.83 | $17.04 | 1,720 |
| 2011 | $18.83 | $26.95 | $17.27 | 1,830 |
| 2012 | $20.78 | $29.14 | $17.45 | 1,940 |
| 2013 | $22.18 | $30.65 | $17.66 | 1,920 |
| 2014 | $23.62 | $32.12 | $17.99 | 1,810 |
| 2015 | $22.78 | $30.94 | $18.34 | 1,640 |
| 2016 | $23.03 | $30.89 | $18.94 | 1,710 |
| 2017 | $23.20 | $30.47 | $19.35 | 1,680 |
| 2018 | $23.83 | $30.55 | $19.89 | 1,690 |
| 2019 | $23.88 | $30.07 | $20.43 | 1,930 |
| 2020 | $25.69 | $31.96 | $21.25 | 1,790 |
| 2021 | $23.05 | $27.39 | $22.60 | 1,970 |
| 2022 | $25.25 | $27.78 | $22.86 | 1,880 |
| 2023 | $25.62 | $27.07 | $23.53 | 1,870 |
| 2024 | $28.05 | $28.79 | $24.52 | 1,950 |
| 2025 | $29.92 | $29.92 | $25.84 | 1,690 |
In today's dollars, the median welder wage in Maine changed by -3.3% over the last ten years of data and by -0.5% since 2019.
Are there more welder jobs in Maine?
BLS counted 1,690 welders in Maine in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 3%. 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 Maine
Maine's labor market agency projects the number of welders in the state to change by +1.0% between 2024 and 2034, from 2,110 to 2,130, with about 210 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +2.4% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 1,690 counted by the BLS employer survey.
Source: Maine labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page).
Is construction work growing in Maine?
Keep comparing
Welder pay in neighbouring states
Other trades in Maine
More on Maine
Questions this page answers
How much do welders make in Maine?
The median welder in Maine earned $29.92 an hour ($62,220 a year) in May 2025, 16% above the national median of $25.84. The middle half earn $24.90–$33.24; the top 10% earn more than $36.64.
Where does Maine rank for welder pay?
Maine ranks 9th of 51 states for welder pay, with a median of $29.92 an hour, and 7th after adjusting for Maine's cost of living (BEA price parity 97.0, US = 100).
What is the union welder rate in Maine?
Davis-Bacon determinations do not list a welder classification for most Maine counties, or the trade is not covered; the BLS wage figures above are the best available measure.
How many welders work in Maine?
BLS counted 1,690 welders in Maine in May 2025, 2.6 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.99; 1.0 is the national average concentration).
Is welder work growing in Maine?
Maine's labor market agency projects +1.0% growth for welders between 2024 and 2034, from 2,110 to 2,130 jobs.
How many welder openings a year are there in Maine?
Maine projects about 210 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, Maine 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 2026-11-06. Not the official determination.
- BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
- State projection: Maine labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.