Welding federal salary series 3703
Full-time federal employees in the Welding series earned a median of $85,817 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 22% below the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $76,718 and $91,745.
What shapes welding pay
The most common grade with published pay is WG-10 (934 employees, median $84,482). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Homeland Security (60 employees). Federal pay depends mostly on grade and step, plus a locality adjustment for where the job is located; see the GS pay scale explainer.
OPM withheld pay for 95% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).
Welding pay by grade
Grades with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay. GS grades are listed first; other pay plans follow.
| Pay plan–grade | Employees | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| WG-10 | 934 | $84,482 |
middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)
Welding pay by agency
| Agency | Employees | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Homeland Security | 60 | $85,817 |
middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)
Change since September 2025
The median moved +6.4% from $80,683 in September 2025 to $85,817 in September 2026. Headcount went from 2,433 to 2,313 (−4.9%). A change in the median reflects both pay adjustments and who joined or left the workforce, so it is not the same as a pay raise.