Welding & fabrication recruiters serving Scranton.
Structural fabrication for Geisinger's tower and the region's planned data center campuses is steady, sustained demand.
Two named projects, steady sustained demand.
Metro pay for every role we recruit is in the table below.
We recruit across the full org chart for welding and fabrication contractors in Scranton against that documented context.
Two named projects, driving steady demand.
Named directly in the metro's own data.
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An 11-story, 600,000 sq ft patient tower increasing capacity from 356 to 500 beds and operating rooms from 12 to 18, with structural steel complete July 2026 and the tower opening Q1 2028 - the named healthcare driver behind steady structural fabrication demand.
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One of two Amazon Web Services data centers in the state, with capacity Amazon has not publicly disclosed - the named driver alongside Geisinger.
What welding & fabrication roles pay in Scranton.
In the Scranton metro, BLS puts the median for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers at $49,090 a year, 9% below the $53,750 national median. Among the 112 metros BLS publishes for this occupation, Scranton ranks 97th on pay. Most of the market sits between $40,110 and $72,420. Of the other field roles, structural iron and steel worker pays the most locally, at a $80,540 median. BLS does not publish Scranton pay for structural metal fabricator / fitter, which it withholds where a metro's sample is too small to be reliable. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Welding & Fabrication Salary Guide.
| Role | Scranton median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welder / CutterWelders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers (51-4121) | $49,090 | $40,110–$72,420 | $53,750 | −9% | 560 |
| Structural Iron and Steel WorkerStructural Iron and Steel Workers (47-2221) | $80,540 | $43,070–$102,000 | $62,780 | +28% | 70 |
| Structural Metal Fabricator / FitterStructural Metal Fabricators and Fitters (51-2041) | – | – | $51,330 | – | – |
| MachinistMachinists (51-4041) | $49,850 | $32,260–$73,080 | $58,750 | −15% | 430 |
| Fabrication SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers (51-1011) | $73,160 | $46,330–$108,660 | $74,450 | −2% | 1,510 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Scranton metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile. Headcount is shown for field occupations only; management, estimating and supervisory codes are counted across every industry in the metro.
What candidates expect. What credentials matter. What kills offers.
We don't tell prospective clients who their competitors are hiring - that's a discipline our clients value, and we'll honor it on a call. What we will share publicly: how Scranton welding and fabrication hiring actually plays out in 2026.
Why we name both Geisinger and the AWS data center
Geisinger's $900M tower expansion and the AWS data center (part of a $20B Pennsylvania investment) are both named directly in the metro's own data as drivers of steady, sustained structural fabrication demand.
Why we mention NorthPoint's planned campus but don't count on it yet
The hub also lists a planned NorthPoint Development data center campus (15 buildings on ~1,280 acres) as a future demand center - it's still in the planning stage, so we treat Geisinger and AWS as the confirmed, active drivers.
What this means for sourcing
We source against structural fabrication experience relevant to both healthcare-grade tower construction and hyperscale data center construction.
Realistic timelines
Steady, sustained demand across two concurrent named projects. First slate of vetted candidates within 48 hours.
The welding and fabrication positions we fill, most often.
Across all Scranton welding and fabrication clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months.
- Structural fabricator (hospital tower construction)
- Structural welder (data center construction)
- Standard shop welder
- Welding & fabrication project manager
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in Scranton, see the Scranton metro overview. To learn more about welding and fabrication generally (across all 100+ markets we serve), see our Welding & Fabrication industry page.
How we recruit welding & fabrication in Scranton, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - but tuned for what works in Scranton's welding and fabrication segment specifically:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers. For Scranton welding work, we also confirm whether the role sits on the Geisinger tower or the AWS data center.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing Scranton welding and fabrication candidate network, filtered for the right project scope.
- Vetted short list (week one to several weeks). Three to five candidates. We verify real welding history and certifications rather than a line on a resume.
- Offer and close. We help with offer math against Scranton's documented 4-6% wage growth.
Scranton runs 18% fewer welding and fabrication workers per job than the country as a whole — below the national concentration. Fewer per job means the people you want are already working, and usually for someone who would rather keep them.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 , Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers. Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Scranton's welding and fabrication market compares
In 2023 the Scranton metro had 6 nonresidential structural steel contractors (counted by business location). BLS publishes that count but withholds headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers. The number of these employers rose 20%, more firms competing for the same crews. That works out to 1.0 per 100,000 residents, close to the 1.2 national rate.
In 2023 the Scranton metro had 5 structural metal fabricators (counted by business location), with about 152 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $82,814, 10.8% above the national average of $74,756 for the same kind of employer. The number of these employers fell 28.6%, as firms merged, closed or moved out. That works out to 0.9 per 100,000 residents against 1.1 nationally. Fewer local employers means experienced people are easier to identify, but many work for firms based outside the metro.
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Scranton ranks 86th for headcount, 86th for median pay and 51st for concentration for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 4,630 | $58,380 | 0.60 | 67 |
| Pittsburgh | 3,600 | $53,610 | 1.21 | 23 |
| Lancaster | 1,270 | $54,370 | 1.88 | 9 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | 860 | $54,790 | 0.85 | 10 |
| Scranton | 560 | $49,090 | 0.82 | 6 |
| Harrisburg | 420 | $52,330 | 0.46 | 2 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For welding and fabrication employers in Scranton, the local pool is thinner than most, so plan on recruiting some roles in from outside the metro.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Scranton metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Scranton's welding & fabrication market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential structural steel contractors in Scranton rose from 5 in 2018 to 6 in 2023, up 20%, ahead of the 4% national rise. With so few firms, one opening or closing moves that percentage a long way. How many people those 6 locations employ is not published: with a category this small, BLS would effectively be reporting individual employers' payrolls. Scranton lost structural metal fabricators between 2018 and 2023, from 7 business locations to 5 (down 29%), behind the 13% growth nationally. With so few firms, one opening or closing moves that percentage a long way.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential structural steel contractors: business locations | 5 | 6 | +20% |
| Structural metal fabricators: business locations | 7 | 5 | −29% |
| Structural metal fabricators: employment | – | 152 | – |
| Structural metal fabricators: average annual pay | – | $82,814 | – |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Frequently asked — welding & fabrication hiring in Scranton.
What are Scranton's named welding demand centers?
The $900M Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center expansion (an 11-story, 600,000 sq ft patient tower) and an AWS data center in Salem Township, part of a $20B combined AWS Pennsylvania investment.
Is welding and fabrication talent expensive to staff in Scranton?
The hub tracks 4-6% wage growth for this trade in Scranton, tied to Geisinger's tower expansion and the region's data center construction.
What do welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers earn in Scranton?
BLS puts the Scranton median for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers at $49,090 a year, 9% below the $53,750 national median. That ranks 97th of 112 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Most of the market sits between $40,110 and $72,420, a 1.8x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within Pennsylvania, Philadelphia pays more, at $58,380.
Is it hard to hire welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers in Scranton?
Yes. Scranton has 18% fewer welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 560 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 5 structural metal fabricators here average about 30 employees per location, which means a handful of large operators set the pace on pay. With 20% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which welding & fabrication roles pay the most in Scranton?
Of the roles we recruit for, Structural Iron and Steel Worker pays the most in Scranton, a $80,540 median. Welder / Cutter is the lowest-paid field role at $49,090. Relative to national pay, Structural Iron and Steel Worker is the strongest-paying role here (28% above). Machinist trails national pay the most (15% below).
How many nonresidential structural steel contractors operate in Scranton?
BLS counted 6 nonresidential structural steel contractors in Scranton in 2023. Up from 5 in 2018, a 20% increase against 4% growth nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers. BLS counted 5 structural metal fabricators in Scranton in 2023, employing about 152 people between them. Down from 7 in 2018, a 29% decline against 13% growth nationally. That averages 30 people per location, so a few large operators dominate hiring. They pay an average of $82,814, 11% above the $74,756 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Scranton for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Allentown-Bethlehem (56 miles, about 860, $54,790 median), New York (99 miles, about 5,780, $61,680 median) and Lancaster (100 miles, about 1,270, $54,370 median). Allentown-Bethlehem has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Allentown-Bethlehem pays 12% more, which is where Scranton employers tend to lose people.
We have not closed a welding & fabrication search in Scranton yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in Scranton than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- HVAC TechnicianA senior technician across commercial and industrial HVAC and refrigeration.
Hiring welding & fabrication talent in Scranton?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you timeline and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.