Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Salary in San Diego, CA
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earn a median $62,560 a year — 16% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $49,831 take-home, or $4,153 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers salary in San Diego, CA. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$5,327
- Social Security (6.2%)$3,879
- Medicare (1.45%)$907
- California income tax$1,803
- CA State Disability Insurance (SDI)$813
- Take-home pay$49,831
Marginal rate: 12% federal + 6.00% state
Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers pay by experience in San Diego, CA
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $46,700 | $22.45 | $38,239 | $3,187 |
| 25th percentile | $50,400 | $24.23 | $40,948 | $3,412 |
| Median (50th) | $62,560 | $30.08 | $49,831 | $4,153 |
| 75th percentile | $76,630 | $36.84 | $58,825 | $4,902 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $82,470 | $39.65 | $62,335 | $5,195 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, California resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $62,560 buys in San Diego, CA
Prices in San Diego, CA are 11.9% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.79× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers's $49,831 take-home pay has the buying power of $44,537 in a typical American city.
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 less concentrated in San Diego, CA than nationally (location quotient 0.71), so openings may be scarcer.
Best-paying cities for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers, adjusted for cost of living
San Diego, CA ranks #15 of 31 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.
| # | Metro area | Median salary | Take-home | Real value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baton Rouge, LA | $78,170 | $61,864 | $68,147 |
| 2 | Virginia Beach, VA | $62,670 | $49,746 | $50,792 |
| 3 | Kansas City, MO | $57,370 | $46,518 | $50,266 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $66,240 | $55,404 | $49,854 |
| 5 | Milwaukee, WI | $59,390 | $48,068 | $49,587 |
| 6 | Houston, TX | $57,940 | $48,735 | $49,412 |
| 7 | Tulsa, OK | $53,550 | $43,343 | $48,583 |
| 8 | Minneapolis, MN | $61,880 | $49,216 | $46,952 |
| 15 | San Diego, CA | $62,560 | $49,831 | $44,537 |
*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.
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers salaries elsewhere in California
- Los Angeles, CA — $56,160
- Riverside, CA — $52,050
Frequently asked questions
How much does a welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers make in San Diego, CA?
The median welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers salary in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area is $62,560 a year, or about $30.08 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $50,400 and $76,630.
What is a welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers’s take-home pay in San Diego, CA?
On the median $62,560 salary, a single filer living in California takes home about $49,831 a year ($4,153 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $2,616 in California taxes in 2026.
Is San Diego, CA a good place to work as a welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers?
Pay here is 16% above the national median of $53,750. Local prices are 11.9% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $44,537 would in a typical U.S. city. San Diego, CA ranks #15 of 31 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.
Can a welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers afford rent in San Diego, CA?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in San Diego, CA is $2,459 a month ($3,001 for two bedrooms) — 59% of a median welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.
Related jobs in San Diego, CA
- First-Line Supervisor of Production and Operating Workers — $79,350
- Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers — $59,550
- Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers — $47,850
- Miscellaneous Assembler and Fabricator — $47,350
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- Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Worker — $38,910