How much do welders make an hour in Fairbanks, AK?

The median hourly wage is $38.56. The middle half earn between $29.17 and $52.85 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Fairbanks, AK?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $27.88 an hour ($57,980 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.17.

Do welders make more in Fairbanks or Anchorage?

Fairbanks pays more: the median is $80,210 in Fairbanks and $74,000 in Anchorage, a 8% difference.

How does Fairbanks pay compare with the rest of Alaska?

The Fairbanks median of $80,210 is 1% less than the Alaska median of $80,840.

Welder salary in Fairbanks, AK

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Fairbanks–College, AK area earn a median of $80,210 a year, or $38.56 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $109,940 a year. That's 1% less than the Alaska median of $80,840.

Median yearly pay$80,210

Bottom 10% under$57,980Top 10% over$109,940

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $27.88/hr
Jobs in this area: 70
After cost of living: $77,720
Median hourly pay: $38.56/hr
vs U.S. median: +49%
vs Alaska median: −1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 21820, Fairbanks-College, AK). 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	$57,980–$60,670$27.88–$29.17/hr
Experienced welder	$80,210$38.56/hr
Top earners	$109,940–$109,940$52.85–$52.85/hr

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

How Fairbanks, AK compares

Welders are less concentrated in the Fairbanks area than nationally: 2.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.75 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $109,940, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $57,980: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Alaska metro areas

Anchorage$74,000

Other trades in Fairbanks, AK

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Fairbanks, AK?: Welders in the Fairbanks–College, AK area earn a median of $80,210 a year, or $38.56 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $109,940 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Fairbanks, AK?: The median hourly wage is $38.56. The middle half earn between $29.17 and $52.85 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Fairbanks, AK?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $27.88 an hour ($57,980 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.17.
Do welders make more in Fairbanks or Anchorage?: Fairbanks pays more: the median is $80,210 in Fairbanks and $74,000 in Anchorage, a 8% difference.
How does Fairbanks pay compare with the rest of Alaska?: The Fairbanks median of $80,210 is 1% less than the Alaska median of $80,840.

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 21820 (Fairbanks-College, AK). 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 (103.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures