Best states for a line welder

Q: What is the best state for line welders?

The best state to be a line welder is Wisconsin based on line welder salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for line welders?

The highest paying state for line welders is Florida based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for line welders?

The worst state for line welders is New York, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

Are you thinking of becoming a line welder and really want to work at Tower International? Turns out, your chances to become a line welder are better in some states than others.We wanted to look at the best states for line welders -- where there are plenty of line welder jobs to go around and line welders get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.

In order to get you the best states for line welders, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.Wisconsin is the best state, and Gillette is the city with the highest pay for line welders.

10 best states for line welders in 2026

1. Wisconsin
Total line welder jobs: 371
Average annual salary: $36,985
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Location Quotient:
1.11
Line welder jobs in Wisconsin
2. Nevada
Total line welder jobs: 132
Average annual salary: $36,189
Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Location Quotient:
1.05
Line welder jobs in Nevada
3. Oregon
Total line welder jobs: 229
Average annual salary: $37,913
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Location Quotient:
0.92
Line welder jobs in Oregon
4. North Dakota
Total line welder jobs: 44
Average annual salary: $38,334
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Location Quotient:
0.78
Line welder jobs in North Dakota
5. Wyoming
Total line welder jobs: 21
Average annual salary: $44,471
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Location Quotient:
0.58
Line welder jobs in Wyoming
6. Indiana
Total line welder jobs: 558
Average annual salary: $32,068
Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Location Quotient:
1.41
Line welder jobs in Indiana
7. Washington
Total line welder jobs: 306
Average annual salary: $39,665
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Location Quotient:
0.69
Line welder jobs in Washington
8. Utah
Total line welder jobs: 213
Average annual salary: $32,840
Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Location Quotient:
1.11
Line welder jobs in Utah
9. Alaska
Total line welder jobs: 33
Average annual salary: $40,023
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Location Quotient:
0.65
Line welder jobs in Alaska
10. Oklahoma
Total line welder jobs: 205
Average annual salary: $32,103
Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Location Quotient:
1.1
Line welder jobs in Oklahoma

Line welder jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a line welder

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a line welder

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Wisconsin	$36,985	$30,000	5,795,483	371
2	Nevada	$36,189	$28,000	2,998,039	132
3	Oregon	$37,913	$30,000	4,142,776	229
4	North Dakota	$38,334	$32,000	755,393	44
5	Wyoming	$44,471	$36,000	579,315	21
6	Indiana	$32,068	$25,000	6,666,818	558
7	Washington	$39,665	$32,000	7,405,743	306
8	Utah	$32,840	$26,000	3,101,833	213
9	Alaska	$40,023	$35,000	739,795	33
10	Oklahoma	$32,103	$25,000	3,930,864	205
11	New Mexico	$34,658	$27,000	2,088,070	86
12	Arizona	$32,378	$25,000	7,016,270	472
13	Idaho	$32,351	$26,000	1,716,943	98
14	Minnesota	$33,108	$27,000	5,576,606	357
15	Delaware	$35,096	$27,000	961,939	53
16	Colorado	$32,770	$26,000	5,607,154	399
17	Massachusetts	$36,365	$29,000	6,859,819	342
18	Pennsylvania	$31,620	$25,000	12,805,537	624
19	Maine	$31,181	$26,000	1,335,907	91
20	Maryland	$35,209	$27,000	6,052,177	276
21	Hawaii	$36,015	$30,000	1,427,538	42
22	Iowa	$30,373	$24,000	3,145,711	301
23	Louisiana	$30,622	$24,000	4,684,333	248
24	West Virginia	$31,338	$24,000	1,815,857	71
25	Rhode Island	$32,310	$26,000	1,059,639	52
26	Tennessee	$29,481	$23,000	6,715,984	491
27	Kansas	$30,781	$24,000	2,913,123	178
28	Missouri	$31,199	$25,000	6,113,532	343
29	Vermont	$33,196	$27,000	623,657	24
30	South Dakota	$31,567	$25,000	869,666	44
31	California	$32,676	$25,000	39,536,653	1,589
32	Texas	$30,057	$23,000	28,304,596	1,537
33	Ohio	$29,845	$23,000	11,658,609	651
34	Connecticut	$31,953	$25,000	3,588,184	169
35	Montana	$31,948	$26,000	1,050,493	47
36	Illinois	$30,721	$24,000	12,802,023	780
37	Michigan	$29,907	$24,000	9,962,311	452
38	Mississippi	$30,264	$23,000	2,984,100	111
39	Kentucky	$27,768	$22,000	4,454,189	327
40	North Carolina	$28,644	$22,000	10,273,419	570
41	New Hampshire	$30,637	$25,000	1,342,795	53
42	Nebraska	$29,160	$23,000	1,920,076	111
43	Florida	$26,206	$20,000	20,984,400	1,505
44	District of Columbia	$31,400	$24,000	693,972	21
45	South Carolina	$28,206	$22,000	5,024,369	262
46	New Jersey	$30,315	$24,000	9,005,644	297
47	Georgia	$26,731	$21,000	10,429,379	663
48	Alabama	$27,339	$21,000	4,874,747	239
49	Arkansas	$26,886	$21,000	3,004,279	151
50	Virginia	$29,019	$22,000	8,470,020	444
51	New York	$28,721	$23,000	19,849,399	553

Highest paying states for line welders

Rank	State	Avg. Line Welder Salary
1	Wisconsin	$36,985
2	Nevada	$36,189
3	Oregon	$37,913
4	North Dakota	$38,334
5	Wyoming	$44,471
6	Indiana	$32,068
7	Washington	$39,665
8	Utah	$32,840
9	Alaska	$40,023
10	Oklahoma	$32,103
11	New Mexico	$34,658
12	Arizona	$32,378
13	Idaho	$32,351
14	Minnesota	$33,108
15	Delaware	$35,096
16	Colorado	$32,770
17	Massachusetts	$36,365
18	Pennsylvania	$31,620
19	Maine	$31,181
20	Maryland	$35,209
21	Hawaii	$36,015
22	Iowa	$30,373
23	Louisiana	$30,622
24	West Virginia	$31,338
25	Rhode Island	$32,310
26	Tennessee	$29,481
27	Kansas	$30,781
28	Missouri	$31,199
29	Vermont	$33,196
30	South Dakota	$31,567
31	California	$32,676
32	Texas	$30,057
33	Ohio	$29,845
34	Connecticut	$31,953
35	Montana	$31,948
36	Illinois	$30,721
37	Michigan	$29,907
38	Mississippi	$30,264
39	Kentucky	$27,768
40	North Carolina	$28,644
41	New Hampshire	$30,637
42	Nebraska	$29,160
43	Florida	$26,206
44	District of Columbia	$31,400
45	South Carolina	$28,206
46	New Jersey	$30,315
47	Georgia	$26,731
48	Alabama	$27,339
49	Arkansas	$26,886
50	Virginia	$29,019
51	New York	$28,721

Line welder best states FAQs

What is the best state for line welders?

What is the highest paying state for line welders?

What is the worst state for line welders?

Have more questions? See all answers to common production and manufacturing questions.

Search for line welder jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse production and manufacturing jobs

Total line welder jobs:	371
Average annual salary:	$36,985
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$30,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$45,000
Location Quotient:	1.11

Best states for a line welder

10 best states for line welders in 2026

1. Wisconsin

2. Nevada

3. Oregon

4. North Dakota

5. Wyoming

6. Indiana

7. Washington

8. Utah

9. Alaska

10. Oklahoma