How much do welders make an hour in Fort Smith, AR-OK?

The median hourly wage is $22.42. The middle half earn between $19.24 and $24.12 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Fort Smith, AR-OK?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.74 an hour ($36,900 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.24.

Do welders make more in Fort Smith or Jonesboro?

Jonesboro pays more: the median is $46,630 in Fort Smith and $51,900 in Jonesboro, a 10% difference.

How does Fort Smith pay compare with the rest of Arkansas?

The Fort Smith median of $46,630 is 3% less than the Arkansas median of $47,970.

Welder salary in Fort Smith, AR-OK

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Fort Smith, AR-OK area earn a median of $46,630 a year, or $22.42 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $58,140. That's 3% less than the Arkansas median of $47,970.

Median yearly pay$46,630

Bottom 10% under$36,900Top 10% over$58,140

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $17.74/hr
Jobs in this area: 400
After cost of living: $54,290
Median hourly pay: $22.42/hr
vs U.S. median: −13%
vs Arkansas median: −3%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 22900, Fort Smith, AR-OK). 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	$36,900–$40,030$17.74–$19.24/hr
Experienced welder	$46,630$22.42/hr
Top earners	$50,170–$58,140$24.12–$27.95/hr

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

How Fort Smith, AR-OK compares

Fort Smith ranks 5th of 7 Arkansas metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Fort Smith area than nationally: 4.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.6 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $58,140, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $36,900: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Arkansas metro areas

Other trades in Fort Smith, AR-OK

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Fort Smith, AR-OK?: Welders in the Fort Smith, AR-OK area earn a median of $46,630 a year, or $22.42 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $58,140.
How much do welders make an hour in Fort Smith, AR-OK?: The median hourly wage is $22.42. The middle half earn between $19.24 and $24.12 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Fort Smith, AR-OK?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.74 an hour ($36,900 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.24.
Do welders make more in Fort Smith or Jonesboro?: Jonesboro pays more: the median is $46,630 in Fort Smith and $51,900 in Jonesboro, a 10% difference.
How does Fort Smith pay compare with the rest of Arkansas?: The Fort Smith median of $46,630 is 3% less than the Arkansas median of $47,970.

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 22900 (Fort Smith, AR-OK). 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 (85.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures