How much do welders make an hour in Tucson, AZ?

The median hourly wage is $24.59. The middle half earn between $22.23 and $30.03 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Tucson, AZ?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.59 an hour ($38,660 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.23.

Do welders make more in Tucson or Phoenix?

Phoenix pays more: the median is $51,150 in Tucson and $56,540 in Phoenix, a 10% difference.

How does Tucson pay compare with the rest of Arizona?

The Tucson median of $51,150 is 8% less than the Arizona median of $55,600.

Welder salary in Tucson, AZ

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Tucson, AZ area earn a median of $51,150 a year, or $24.59 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $78,090. Across all of Arizona, the median is $55,600, so Tucson pays 8% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$51,150

Bottom 10% under$38,660Top 10% over$78,090

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.59/hr
Jobs in this area: 740
After cost of living: $52,790
Median hourly pay: $24.59/hr
vs U.S. median: −5%
vs Arizona median: −8%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 46060, Tucson, AZ). 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	$38,660–$46,240$18.59–$22.23/hr
Experienced welder	$51,150$24.59/hr
Top earners	$62,460–$78,090$30.03–$37.54/hr

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

How Tucson, AZ compares

Tucson ranks 5th of 7 Arizona metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Tucson area than nationally: 1.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.71 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $78,090, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,660: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Arizona metro areas

Other trades in Tucson, AZ

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Tucson, AZ?: Welders in the Tucson, AZ area earn a median of $51,150 a year, or $24.59 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $78,090.
How much do welders make an hour in Tucson, AZ?: The median hourly wage is $24.59. The middle half earn between $22.23 and $30.03 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Tucson, AZ?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.59 an hour ($38,660 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.23.
Do welders make more in Tucson or Phoenix?: Phoenix pays more: the median is $51,150 in Tucson and $56,540 in Phoenix, a 10% difference.
How does Tucson pay compare with the rest of Arizona?: The Tucson median of $51,150 is 8% less than the Arizona median of $55,600.

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 46060 (Tucson, AZ). 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 (96.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures