Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $30K, rent takes 30.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $663/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers typically earn — is $27K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,624/month. At HUD’s $663/month FMR, rent would take 41% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 43% below the national median — $30K here vs. $54K nationally.

San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas pays $30K median vs. the U.S. average of $54K — that’s -43%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 100), the purchasing-power equivalent is $30K — below the national median.

The median is $30,390 a year, that works out to about $15 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $27,060, and experienced welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers can clear $36,530. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,205/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $663/month, which eats 30.1% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers salary is worth about $30,390 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.