How much do welders make an hour in Alabama?

The median hourly wage is $23.31. The middle half earn between $19.27 and $28.91 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Alabama?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.65 an hour ($36,710 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.27.

Where in Alabama do welders earn the most?

Among Alabama metro areas, Mobile has the highest median at $61,420 a year, and Columbus the lowest at $40,100.

Do welders in Alabama earn more than the national average?

The Alabama median of $48,490 is 10% less than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Alabama run 11% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $54,590 would nationally.

Welder salary in Alabama

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in Alabama earn a median of $48,490 a year, or $23.31 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $66,820. That's 10% less than the national median of $53,750, 48th of 51 states and DC.

Median yearly pay$48,490

Bottom 10% under$36,710Top 10% over$66,820

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $17.65/hr
Jobs in Alabama: 12,450
After cost of living: $54,590
Median hourly pay: $23.31/hr
vs U.S. median: −10%
Rank among states: 48th of 51

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 01). Excludes self-employed welders. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. *Starting pay is estimated from the 10th percentile; BLS does not report pay by license level.

Entry-level to top welder pay

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Entry level	$36,710–$40,080$17.65–$19.27/hr
Experienced welder	$48,490$23.31/hr
Top earners	$60,120–$66,820$28.91–$32.12/hr

Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.

How Alabama compares

Welders are more concentrated in Alabama than nationally: 5.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.2 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $66,820, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $36,710: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Pay by metro area

See all Alabama metro areas

Rural Alabama

Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area$49,080
Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area$48,480
Northwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area$46,750
Southeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area$41,700

Other trades in Alabama

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Alabama?: Welders in Alabama earn a median of $48,490 a year, or $23.31 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $66,820.
How much do welders make an hour in Alabama?: The median hourly wage is $23.31. The middle half earn between $19.27 and $28.91 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Alabama?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.65 an hour ($36,710 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.27.
Where in Alabama do welders earn the most?: Among Alabama metro areas, Mobile has the highest median at $61,420 a year, and Columbus the lowest at $40,100.
Do welders in Alabama earn more than the national average?: The Alabama median of $48,490 is 10% less than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Alabama run 11% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $54,590 would nationally.

About this data

Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 51-4121 (Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers), area code 01. BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed welders and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (88.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures