Welder.
Nashville.
$49,000
median salary, 4% below the national average
$45,000 to $60,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
A Welder in Nashville earns a median of $49,000 in 2026. That is 4% below the national average. The range runs from $45,000 to $60,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. Certification type drives the largest pay differences. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Welder in Nashville, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $49,460 for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers (SOC 51-4121) in the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metropolitan area, based on 2,590 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$40,220
25th percentile
$43,730
Median
$49,460
75th percentile
$61,100
90th percentile
$68,490
Workers surveyed
2,590
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers (SOC 51-4121) rather than Welder specifically. The Nashville range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 51-4121Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $44,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$32,000
to $39,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$42,000
to $51,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$54,000
to $64,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$61,000
to $76,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $14,000 to the total package.
Base
$49,000
Equity
$8,000
Bonus
$5,000
Signing
$1,000
Estimated total: $63,000
How Nashville compares.
Nashville, TN
$49,000
Cost of living: at average
National Average
$51,000
Nashville is $2,000 below
Welder salary by city.
Salary by role in Nashville.
What you should know.
Here is what the Welder market actually looks like in Nashville. Nashville has diversified well beyond music into healthcare, finance, and technology. The city is home to HCA Healthcare and a growing corridor of health tech startups. Nashville's moderate cost of living, combined with Tennessee's lack of state income tax on wages, makes it increasingly popular for corporate relocations and remote workers. Certification type drives the largest pay differences. TIG and pipe welders earn 20 to 35% more than MIG welders doing structural or production work. Welders certified for exotic alloys like titanium, Inconel, or stainless steel in aerospace or nuclear applications earn peak rates. Travel welding and shutdown work offer premium per diem packages.
Welding apprentices start at $30,000 to $36,000, advancing to journeyman welder at $40,000 to $55,000 in three to four years. Certified pipe welders earn $60,000 to $80,000, while welding inspectors (CWI) and supervisors reach $75,000 to $100,000 in industrial settings. In Nashville, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Per diem payments for travel welders add $75 to $150 daily, potentially adding $18,000 to $35,000 annually. Union welders receive pension and health benefits worth $10,000 to $18,000. Tool and safety equipment allowances of $500 to $1,500 are standard. And on the tax side: tennessee has no state income tax on wages or salaries. This gives Nashville workers a meaningful take home advantage over peers in states with 5 to 10% income tax rates. When someone quotes you $49,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Use the healthcare industry concentration as leverage. Nashville healthcare employers are accustomed to national pay scales and will often match or beat coastal health sector offers. The range for Welders in Nashville runs from $45,000 to $60,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- A Customer Service Representative in Nashville earns $44,000 (10% less)
- The highest-paying role in Nashville is CTO at $306,000
Common questions.
Welder salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Nashville.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to Welders in Nashville.
Related tools.
Do you work as a welder in Nashville?
Your individual figure is never published. Submissions appear only as aggregate percentiles, and nothing is shown for a role and city until at least five people have reported. It is stored against your account, which is what keeps the dataset clean.
Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Welder Salary in Nashville, TN." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/welder/nashville
Want this data on your site? Embed the salary widget. One script tag, free forever.
Related tools