Updated · 2026 tax rules · Data: IRS, BLS, BEA, HUD · How we calculate

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Salary in Portland, OR

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area earn a median $62,050 a year — 15% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $47,437 take-home, or $3,953 a month.

Median salary
$62,050
$29.83 per hour
Typical range
$48,050 – $83,940
10th to 90th percentile
Jobs in Portland, OR
3,300
1.02× national concentration
▲1.8%
Pay trend: The median for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers in Portland, OR rose from $60,940 (May 2024) to $62,050 (May 2025). That trailed inflation (2.4%), so buying power slipped about 0.6%.

Take-home pay calculator

Pre-filled with the median welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers salary in Portland, OR. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in Portland, OR
Deductions, kids & local tax

2026 tax year. Federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.

Your take-home pay
$47,437
per year · effective tax rate 23.5%
$3,953Monthly
$1,977Twice a month
$1,825Every 2 weeks
$22.81Hourly
  • Federal income tax$5,266
  • Social Security (6.2%)$3,847
  • Medicare (1.45%)$900
  • Oregon income tax$4,600
  • Take-home pay$47,437

Marginal rate: 12% federal + 8.75% state

The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro spans Oregon, Washington. Pick the state you live in — state income tax follows your residence.

Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers pay by experience in Portland, OR

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home / yrPer month
10th percentile (entry level)$48,050$23.10$37,413$3,118
25th percentile$53,130$25.54$41,051$3,421
Median (50th)$62,050$29.83$47,437$3,953
75th percentile$72,400$34.81$54,258$4,522
90th percentile (top earners)$83,940$40.36$61,367$5,114

Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Oregon resident, 2026 tax rules.

What $62,050 buys in Portland, OR

Prices in Portland, OR are 5.4% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.25× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers's $47,437 take-home pay has the buying power of $44,998 in a typical American city.

1-bedroom rent
$1,677
42% of monthly take-home
2-bedroom rent
$1,922
49% of monthly take-home
Left after 1-BR rent
$2,276
per month for everything else

Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers jobs are about as common in Portland, OR as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 1.02).

Best-paying cities for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers, adjusted for cost of living

Portland, OR ranks #13 of 31 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.

#Metro areaMedian salaryTake-homeReal value*
1Baton Rouge, LA $78,170$61,864$68,147
2Virginia Beach, VA $62,670$49,746$50,792
3Kansas City, MO $57,370$46,518$50,266
4Seattle, WA $66,240$55,404$49,854
5Milwaukee, WI $59,390$48,068$49,587
6Houston, TX $57,940$48,735$49,412
7Tulsa, OK $53,550$43,343$48,583
8Minneapolis, MN $61,880$49,216$46,952
13Portland, OR$62,050$47,437$44,998

*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 31 metros →

About the job: welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers

Use hand-welding, flame-cutting, hand-soldering, or brazing equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.

Typical education
High school diploma or equivalent
Work experience
None required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Job outlook, 2025–35
+2.4% (about average)

Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers make in Portland, OR?

The median welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers salary in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area is $62,050 a year, or about $29.83 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $53,130 and $72,400.

What is a welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers’s take-home pay in Portland, OR?

On the median $62,050 salary, a single filer living in Oregon takes home about $47,437 a year ($3,953 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $4,600 in Oregon taxes in 2026.

Is Portland, OR a good place to work as a welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers?

Pay here is 15% above the national median of $53,750. Local prices are 5.4% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $44,998 would in a typical U.S. city. Portland, OR ranks #13 of 31 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.

Can a welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers afford rent in Portland, OR?

HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Portland, OR is $1,677 a month ($1,922 for two bedrooms) — 42% of a median welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.

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