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Welders, Cutters & Solderers salary in Salem, OR

Median pay for welders, cutters & solderers in Salem, OR: $49,390/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $38,210 – $69,770 · about 470 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($48,615) by +$775 (+2%).

What it's really worth in Salem

With Salem's cost of living at 102 (US=100), that $49,390 has the buying power of about $48,205 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $72,154 · median home $454,689 · median rent $1,628/mo.

Full Salem cost of living & taxes →

How Salem ranks for this job

On raw pay, Salem, OR is 73rd of the 186 metros we hold welders, cutters & solderers wages for. Once Salem's cost of living is applied, it ranks 148th.

The headline number flatters Salem. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, welders, cutters & solderers here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.

What that salary buys in Salem

A median home in Salem, OR costs $454,689 — about 9.2× 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 $1,628/mo works out at 40% 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 Salem.

MetroMedian payvs SalemRent vs Salem
Honolulu, HI $76,540 +55% 1.8×
Baton Rouge, LA $70,010 +42% 0.9×
Bremerton, WA $66,310 +34% 1.3×
Virginia Beach, VA $63,630 +29% 1.1×

Same job elsewhere in OR

MetroMedian payvs SalemRent vs Salem
Portland, OR $59,680 +21% 1.1×
Eugene, OR $50,010 +1% 1.1×

Staying in OR keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Who hires welders, cutters & solderers around Salem

Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.

Other jobs in Salem

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.