WAGE DATA · SOC 51-4121

WELDER PAY
IN RHODE ISLAND.

Rhode Island welders earn a median of $27.40/hr (BLS 2024). 2,350 workers employed statewide. Compare market wages, federal prevailing rates, and per-diem baselines below.

// SWITCH VIEW
ALL 50 STATES · WELDER
// BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS · STATEWIDEOEWS · MAY 2024
HOURLY MEDIAN
$27.40/hr
MEAN HOURLY
$29.56/hr
ANNUAL MEDIAN
$57K
EMPLOYED
2,350
10th · $16.57MEDIAN · $27.4090th · $49.39
// DAVIS-BACON · FEDERAL PREVAILING WAGE4 ACTIVE WDS

Active Wage Determinations · Rhode Island

4 active Davis-Bacon Wage Determinations cover Rhode Island. Each WD sets the legal minimum wage (base + fringe by trade classification) on federally-funded construction in the counties it applies to. Showing the 4 most recently modified — click through for the per-trade rates on sam.gov.

RI20260001 · MOD 2
Building · Heavy · Highway · Providence, Newport, Washington +2
MOD
2026-01-30
RI20260002 · MOD 1
Residential · Providence, Washington, Bristol +1
MOD
2026-01-30
RI20260003 · MOD 1
Residential · Newport
MOD
2026-01-30
RI20260005 · MOD 1
Heavy · Providence, Newport, Washington +2
MOD
2026-01-30

Per-trade rates (the actual $/hr for welders by county) are published on the SAM.gov detail page for each WD. Browse all 4 Rhode Island Wage Determinations on sam.gov. If a contractor on a federal job is paying below the WD, file a WH-3 with DOL WHD.

// GSA PER DIEM · FY 2026GSA

Lodging + M&IE by City

The federal government's per-diem rate is the baseline most contractors use. If your job's per diem is below this, you're subsidizing the contractor.

Jamestown / Middletown / Newport
Newport
$266
/day · meals $80
Providence / Bristol
Providence / Bristol
$234
/day · meals $80
Standard Rate
Rhode Island
$178
/day · meals $68
// ROADHAND COMMUNITY DATABE FIRST

What are workers actually earning?

Government data is a baseline. Real take-home pay — including per diem, OT rules, housing allowances — comes from workers on the ground. Submit your pay anonymously to help the next hand.

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OTHER TRADES IN RHODE ISLAND

ElectricianPipefitterIronworkerMillwrightBoilermakerCarpenterOperating EngineerPlumberInsulator

WELDER PAY IN OTHER STATES

AlaskaCaliforniaColoradoLouisianaMontanaNew MexicoNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaPennsylvaniaTexasWest VirginiaWyoming

FAQ

How much does a welder earn in Rhode Island?+
According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (2024), welders in Rhode Island earn a median of $27.40/hr. That's roughly $57K/year for a full-time schedule at straight time.
What's the top pay for welders in Rhode Island?+
The top 10% of welders in Rhode Island earn more than $49.39/hr (BLS 2024). That represents experienced workers, supervisors, or those on high-per-diem travel contracts.
How many welders work in Rhode Island?+
BLS reports 2,350 welders employed in Rhode Island as of 2024. Numbers fluctuate with major construction cycles — when big projects like LNG terminals or data centers start, demand spikes.
Do welders in Rhode Island get per diem?+
Per diem is standard on travel contracts. The federal GSA baseline for Rhode Island is typically $150-$260/day depending on the city. Contractors may set their per diem higher or lower — if it's below the GSA floor, you're subsidizing the contractor's housing budget out of pocket.
What's Davis-Bacon prevailing wage?+
Davis-Bacon rates are the legally-required minimum wages on federally-funded construction projects — base pay plus fringe benefits. Every contractor working a federal job must pay at least the Davis-Bacon rate for that county and trade. Private-sector jobs don't have to match, but many do as a competitive floor.