Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers job market in North Carolina
Industry trends, wages and hiring signals.
The headline
Industry employment fell while average weekly industry wages rose
A data-driven view of the industries that employ Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers in North Carolina.
Occupation pay
What Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers earn in North Carolina
BLS OEWS occupation-level pay estimates for this role — separate from the industry wage trends used elsewhere in this report.
Median annual wage
$50,590North Carolina- Middle 50% of published wages
- $45,400 – $60,870
- U.S. median annual wage
- $53,750
- Reference period
- May 2025
The middle 50% is the 25th-to-75th percentile wage range, not an experience-level band. Suppressed or unavailable BLS values remain unpublished rather than being estimated.
Pay around North Carolina
How median pay varies by metro area
Published BLS OEWS metro estimates for Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers, compared with the North Carolina median of $50,590.
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC$62,670+23.9% vs. state
Greenville, NC$57,360+13.4% vs. state
Raleigh-Cary, NC$56,940+12.6% vs. state
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC$56,070+10.8% vs. state
Wilmington, NC$55,340+9.4% vs. state
Greensboro-High Point, NC$54,180+7.1% vs. state
View 8 more published metro areas
Asheville, NC$52,540+3.9% vs. state
Burlington, NC$50,740+0.3% vs. state
Fayetteville, NC$49,780−1.6% vs. state
Rocky Mount, NC$49,600−2.0% vs. state
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC$49,280−2.6% vs. state
Goldsboro, NC$48,320−4.5% vs. state
Winston-Salem, NC$46,370−8.3% vs. state
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC$46,080−8.9% vs. state
Areas are ordered by published median wage for readability, not as an overall job-market ranking. The vertical marker is the North Carolina median. Some BLS metropolitan areas cross state lines, so a metro estimate can cover workers in more than one state.
Verified snapshot
Market at a Glance
Key changes in North Carolina’s weighted industry mix.
Percentage-point gaps use the original published values and are rounded once; subtracting the rounded percentages can give a slightly different result.
Published coverage: 71,676 represented establishments, 87.26% of the published industry mix.
Local research
What the data shows for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers in North Carolina
Findings describe the published observation periods shown below. Research published Oct 11, 2026.
Industry groups are pulling in opposite directions
The leading industry groups for this occupation show a split in North Carolina. In January to March 2026, Other services employment changed +1.4% year over year, while Manufacturing changed -1.1%. Together, the groups examined cover 83.9% of the occupation's national industry mix. The overall industry measure combines these opposing movements.
January to March 2026 · BLS QCEWPay differs widely between metro areas
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC and Greenville, NC define the low and high ends of this published median-pay comparison for North Carolina. Their estimates are $46,080 and $57,360, respectively, in OEWS May 2025; the high end is 24.5% higher. The comparison includes 13 metro areas on the same wage basis and does not measure living costs or job availability.
OEWS May 2025 · BLS OEWSMetro estimates may include areas in neighboring states. The comparison covers published metro estimates, not every part of the state.
Published median pay is below the U.S. median
North Carolina's published median annual wage for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers is 5.9% below the national median in OEWS May 2025. The state estimate is $50,590, compared with $53,750 across the U.S. These medians are not adjusted for living costs and do not describe every worker.
OEWS May 2025 · BLS OEWSEmployment and establishment counts moved apart
In the industries that employ this occupation, North Carolina's establishment count changed +4.8% year over year in January to March 2026, while employment changed -0.8%. The measures therefore point in opposite directions. These observations do not establish an explanation for that difference.
January to March 2026 · BLS QCEWIndustry measures describe the industries associated with this occupation. They are not direct occupation employment, current openings or a state-level Job Market Health score. Findings describe published data and do not establish causes. Methodology
Employment trends
North Carolina industry employment over time
Year-over-year change in the weighted industries. The U.S. line is the latest-quarter benchmark because a comparable national quarterly history is not published here.
- North Carolina · 2026 Q1-0.8%
- U.S. · latest-quarter benchmark-0.8%
The chart will load automatically. Published values remain available in this report.
View every published value
| Quarter | North Carolina | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Q2 | +0.2% | 100% |
| 2024 Q3 | +0.4% | 100% |
| 2024 Q4 | -0.1% | 100% |
| 2025 Q1 | -0.5% | 86.51% |
| 2025 Q2 | +0.1% | 100% |
| 2025 Q3 | -0.3% | 100% |
| 2025 Q4 | +0.1% | 100% |
| 2026 Q1 | -0.8% | 86.51% |
How to read this chart
State trend and national reference
The solid line follows North Carolina’s published year-over-year industry employment changes by quarter. The dashed U.S. line is a latest-quarter reference, not a second time series.
- Published quarters
- 8
- Earliest quarter
- 2024 Q2
- Latest quarter
- 2026 Q1
- U.S. benchmark
- -0.8%
Quarters with no published value are omitted rather than interpolated.
Industry context
Where Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers Work
The occupation mix determines which North Carolina industries are weighted into this view.
| Industry group | Occupation mix | Employment change | Establishments | Avg. weekly industry wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 65.4% | -1.1% | 11,486 | $1,632 |
| Construction | 13.4% | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Trade, transportation, and utilities | 7.6% | +0.2% | 60,190 | $1,200 |
| Professional and business services | 5.3% | +1.1% | 90,970 | $2,041 |
| Other services | 4.3% | +1.4% | 29,500 | $999 |
| Mining and logging | 1.3% | -4.2% | 416 | $1,096 |
Which industries are growing?
3 weighted industries are growing
Only weighted industries with a published positive North Carolina employment change are listed.
- Other services+1.4%
- Professional and business services+1.1%
- Trade, transportation, and utilities+0.2%
The remaining weighted industries published a flat or negative change in January to March 2026.
Current North Carolina context
Current North Carolina Market Signals
Statewide indicators for all occupations in North Carolina. They are not Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers demand and are not part of the Job Market Health score.
Statewide job postings
Indeed job postings · North Carolina
Recent hiring-demand context · separate from the health score
Total postings index (seasonally adjusted) by observation date · baseline 100
The chart will load automatically. Published values remain available in this report.
View values: Indeed postings index
| Observation date | Index (Feb 2020 = 100) |
|---|---|
| Jul 24, 2026 | 109.12 |
| Jul 31, 2026 | 108.76 |
| Aug 7, 2026 | 108.45 |
| Aug 14, 2026 | 108.49 |
| Aug 21, 2026 | 108.83 |
| Aug 28, 2026 | 109.76 |
| Sep 4, 2026 | 110.96 |
| Sep 11, 2026 | 111.82 |
| Sep 18, 2026 | 112.35 |
| Sep 25, 2026 | 113.18 |
| Oct 2, 2026 | 113.24 |
| Oct 9, 2026 | 113.36 |
| Oct 16, 2026 | 112.22 |
| Oct 23, 2026 | 112.30 |
This is statewide demand across all occupations, not demand for this specific job. Postings are not a count of vacancies or hires, and Indeed does not cover the entire labor market.
Source: Indeed Hiring Lab · CC BY 4.0. Seven-day average, seasonally adjusted; publisher refreshes weekly and may revise history. Retrieved Nov 1, 2026 · saved source copy. JobMarketHealth calculates the displayed changes and samples weekly observations for the chart.
Statewide layoff notices
Statewide WARN notices
North Carolina statewide15 notices in this source
Notice dates from Aug 5, 2026 to Nov 2, 2026 (UTC), a rolling 90-calendar-day period.
What this means: This is the number of WARN notices with notice dates in this period in North Carolina’s official statewide list. It is a statewide count only, and does not identify any employer.
Notices describe planned workforce changes, not confirmed job losses. Notices may be amended or withdrawn. This statewide context is not occupation-specific and does not affect the Job Market Health score. WARN covers qualifying large layoffs and closures under applicable law, not all layoffs, and thresholds vary by state.
North Carolina Department of Commerce About WARN data
Source last checked
Career context
Related occupations
Related roles from the occupation’s published O*NET profile.
Questions answered by this release
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers in North Carolina FAQs
Each answer is limited to what QCEW 2026 Q1 actually publishes for this state.
Is employment growing for Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers in North Carolina?
The available QCEW measure is not direct occupation employment. Employment across the North Carolina industries weighted to Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers changed -0.8% year over year in January to March 2026, compared with -0.8% nationwide.
Are wages for Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers rising in North Carolina?
QCEW does not publish pay for Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers in this view. Average weekly wages across the weighted industries changed +3.7% year over year; that must not be read as an occupation salary change.
How complete is this North Carolina industry view?
The three core state trends each meet the site’s coverage floor; the minimum published coverage is 86.51% of the occupation’s industry mix.
Does this page show current Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers openings?
No. QCEW measures industry employment, establishments and wages. Any postings, news or WARN figures shown here are statewide context and are not occupation-specific openings.
Methodology & sourcesQCEW 2026 Q1 · coverage 86.51% · full evidence record
Methodology & Sources
Derived by JobMarketHealth from BLS QCEW + published occupation industry mix. This is occupation-weighted industry context, not direct occupation employment and not a count of current job openings.
- Occupation
- Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- SOC code
- 51-4121
- State
- North Carolina
- QCEW release label
- QCEW 2026 Q1
- Data period
- 2026 Q1
- State industry employment, year over year
- -0.8%State data coverage 86.51%
- U.S. benchmark, year over year
- -0.8%
- Difference from U.S. benchmark
- +0.1 percentage pointsPercentage-point gaps use the original published values and are rounded once; subtracting the rounded percentages can give a slightly different result.
- Establishments, year over year
- +4.8%State data coverage 86.51%
- Average weekly industry wage, year over year
- +3.7%State data coverage 86.51%
- Industry mix vintage
- EP-2025-2035
- BLS publication date
- Aug 28, 2026
- Source verification
- Verified against the committed source snapshotVerified Sep 17, 2026
- Canonical record URL
- https://jobmarkethealth.com/occupations/welders-cutters-solderers-and-brazers/north-carolina#evidence-record
- Derived by
- JobMarketHealth from BLS QCEW + published occupation industry mix
MethodologyBLS QCEWHow to citeQCEW state context release, 2026 Q1
Weighted industry conditions are not direct occupation employment, occupation wages, current openings or a state-level Job Market Health score. No causal explanation is inferred.