Welders, Cutters & Solderers salary in Fort Wayne, IN
Median pay for welders, cutters & solderers in Fort Wayne, IN: $46,590/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $35,930 – $57,540 · about 710 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($48,615) by −$2,025 (-4%).
What it's really worth in Fort Wayne
With Fort Wayne's cost of living at 90 (US=100), that $46,590 has the buying power of about $51,912 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $66,758 · median home $259,816 · median rent $1,264/mo.
How Fort Wayne ranks for this job
On raw pay, Fort Wayne, IN is 144th of the 186 metros we hold welders, cutters & solderers wages for. Once Fort Wayne's cost of living is applied, it ranks 79th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Fort Wayne is one of the places where welders, cutters & solderers gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Fort Wayne
A median home in Fort Wayne, IN costs $259,816 — about 5.6× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,264/mo works out at 33% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.
Where welders, cutters & solderers earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Fort Wayne.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Fort Wayne | Rent vs Fort Wayne |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honolulu, HI | $76,540 | +64% | 2.4× |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $70,010 | +50% | 1.1× |
| Bremerton, WA | $66,310 | +42% | 1.6× |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $63,630 | +37% | 1.5× |
Same job elsewhere in IN
| Metro | Median pay | vs Fort Wayne | Rent vs Fort Wayne |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis, IN | $48,310 | +4% | 1.2× |
| Evansville, IN | $46,710 | +0% | 0.9× |
| South Bend, IN | $45,690 | −2% | 1.1× |
Staying in IN keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires welders, cutters & solderers around Fort Wayne
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- GE Power Conversion · Manufacturing
- L3Harris Technologies · Aerospace/Defense
- Sweetwater Sound · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Fort Wayne
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 186 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.