SalaryExplorer

SOC 51-4121 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers — Gadsden

Gadsden, AL · 10 metro areas compared

$42,240 /year
$20.31per hour
190jobs in area
−21.4%vs US median

The median wage for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in Gadsden, AL is $42,240 per year, 21.4% below the national median of $53,750.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $53,75010TH$35,17025TH$37,750MEDIAN$42,24075TH$48,49090TH$55,350

How pay has moved

$48,753$29,8982019202020212022202320242025$42,240
$33,040 in 2019 to $42,240 in 2025, +27.8% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+2.2%
Openings per year
45,600
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

6.3% of people in this occupation work for themselves.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Gadsden, AL.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in Gadsden, AL is $42,240 per year, 21.4% below the national median of $53,750. Pay ranges from under $35,170 at the tenth percentile to more than $55,350 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $37,750 to $48,490.

The area has 190 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 5.8 of every thousand jobs. Mobile leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $61,420. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 71st of 152 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Gadsden, AL · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$35,170−34.6%
25th$37,750−29.8%
Median (50th)$42,240−21.4%
75th$48,490−9.8%
90th$55,350+3.0%
Mean$44,100−18.0%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Alabama

Median annual wage for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Mobile$61,4201,700
2Anniston$59,820430
3Decatur$56,990530
4Tuscaloosa$52,180290
5Birmingham$49,9302,160
6Montgomery$47,880560
7Daphne$47,860210
8Dothan$45,210310
9Florence$44,210130
10Huntsville$44,0201,810

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Gadsden run 14.3% below the national average, so the median of $42,240 goes as far as $49,288 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 8.3% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$42,240as reported by BLS

Local price level

85.7US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$49,288US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $42,240 a year, 21.4% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $35,170 to $55,350 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 190 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Mobile, at $61,420.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in Gadsden, AL?

The median annual wage is $42,240, or $20.31 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $53,750, so pay in Gadsden, AL is 21.4% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Gadsden, AL earns more than $55,350 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $35,170 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Mobile, at $61,420 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 190 jobs in this occupation in Gadsden, AL. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.