How much do welders make an hour in Tuscaloosa, AL?

The median hourly wage is $25.09. The middle half earn between $21.35 and $30.81 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Tuscaloosa, AL?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.09 an hour ($37,620 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.35.

Do welders make more in Tuscaloosa or Mobile?

Mobile pays more: the median is $52,180 in Tuscaloosa and $61,420 in Mobile, a 15% difference.

How does Tuscaloosa pay compare with the rest of Alabama?

The Tuscaloosa median of $52,180 is 8% more than the Alabama median of $48,490.

Welder salary in Tuscaloosa, AL

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Tuscaloosa, AL area earn a median of $52,180 a year, or $25.09 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $75,920. Across all of Alabama, the median is $48,490, so Tuscaloosa pays 8% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$52,180

Bottom 10% under$37,620Top 10% over$75,920

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.09/hr
Jobs in this area: 290
After cost of living: $59,480
Median hourly pay: $25.09/hr
vs U.S. median: −3%
vs Alabama median: +8%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 46220, Tuscaloosa, AL). 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	$37,620–$44,410$18.09–$21.35/hr
Experienced welder	$52,180$25.09/hr
Top earners	$64,090–$75,920$30.81–$36.50/hr

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

How Tuscaloosa, AL compares

Tuscaloosa ranks 4th of 13 Alabama metro areas for welder pay.
Welders hold about the same share of jobs in the Tuscaloosa area as nationally: 2.7 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $75,920, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,620: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Alabama metro areas

Other trades in Tuscaloosa, AL

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Tuscaloosa, AL?: Welders in the Tuscaloosa, AL area earn a median of $52,180 a year, or $25.09 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $75,920.
How much do welders make an hour in Tuscaloosa, AL?: The median hourly wage is $25.09. The middle half earn between $21.35 and $30.81 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Tuscaloosa, AL?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.09 an hour ($37,620 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.35.
Do welders make more in Tuscaloosa or Mobile?: Mobile pays more: the median is $52,180 in Tuscaloosa and $61,420 in Mobile, a 15% difference.
How does Tuscaloosa pay compare with the rest of Alabama?: The Tuscaloosa median of $52,180 is 8% more than the Alabama median of $48,490.

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 46220 (Tuscaloosa, AL). 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 (87.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures