How much do welders make an hour in Chico, CA?

The median hourly wage is $23.44. The middle half earn between $22.30 and $28.29 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Chico, CA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.00 an hour ($39,520 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.30.

Do welders make more in Chico or San Francisco?

San Francisco pays more: the median is $48,740 in Chico and $64,320 in San Francisco, a 24% difference.

How does Chico pay compare with the rest of California?

The Chico median of $48,740 is 16% less than the California median of $58,060.

Welder salary in Chico, CA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Chico, CA area earn a median of $48,740 a year, or $23.44 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $67,040. That's 16% less than the California median of $58,060.

Median yearly pay$48,740

Bottom 10% under$39,520Top 10% over$67,040

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $19.00/hr
Jobs in this area: 160
After cost of living: $48,160
Median hourly pay: $23.44/hr
vs U.S. median: −9%
vs California median: −16%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 17020, Chico, CA). 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	$39,520–$46,380$19.00–$22.30/hr
Experienced welder	$48,740$23.44/hr
Top earners	$58,850–$67,040$28.29–$32.23/hr

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

How Chico, CA compares

Chico ranks 23rd of 25 California metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Chico area than nationally: 2.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.76 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $67,040, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,520: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other California metro areas

Other trades in Chico, CA

Electrician HVAC technician Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Chico, CA?: Welders in the Chico, CA area earn a median of $48,740 a year, or $23.44 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $67,040.
How much do welders make an hour in Chico, CA?: The median hourly wage is $23.44. The middle half earn between $22.30 and $28.29 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Chico, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.00 an hour ($39,520 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.30.
Do welders make more in Chico or San Francisco?: San Francisco pays more: the median is $48,740 in Chico and $64,320 in San Francisco, a 24% difference.
How does Chico pay compare with the rest of California?: The Chico median of $48,740 is 16% less than the California median of $58,060.

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 17020 (Chico, CA). 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 (101.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures