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.

Welder salary in Tucson, AZ

Updated September 27, 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

Entry-level 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%
Mean (average) pay: $55,820 a year · $26.84 an hour

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.

Pay by percentile

What welders in Tucson, AZ earn at each point of the pay range, May 2025: 10% earn less than the 10th percentile, half earn less than the median, and 10% earn more than the 90th.

Percentile	Hourly	Yearly
10th percentile	$18.59	$38,660
25th percentile	$22.23	$46,240
Median (50th)	$24.59	$51,150
75th percentile	$30.03	$62,460
90th percentile	$37.54	$78,090

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.

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.

Other Arizona metro areas

Other trades in Tucson, AZ

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Heavy equipment operator Auto mechanic Roofer Ironworker

Questions

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.

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 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures