How much do welders make an hour in El Centro, CA?

The median hourly wage is $28.06. The middle half earn between $21.81 and $35.67 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in El Centro, CA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.40 an hour ($38,280 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.81.

Do welders make more in El Centro or San Francisco?

San Francisco pays more: the median is $58,350 in El Centro and $64,320 in San Francisco, a 9% difference.

How does El Centro pay compare with the rest of California?

The El Centro median of $58,350 is about the same as the California median of $58,060.

Welder salary in El Centro, CA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the El Centro, CA area earn a median of $58,350 a year, or $28.06 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $90,930 a year. Statewide, welders earn a median of $58,060; El Centro is right at that level.

Median yearly pay$58,350

Bottom 10% under$38,280Top 10% over$90,930

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.40/hr
Jobs in this area: 70
After cost of living: $61,310
Median hourly pay: $28.06/hr
vs U.S. median: +9%
vs California median: 0%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 20940, El Centro, 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	$38,280–$45,370$18.40–$21.81/hr
Experienced welder	$58,350$28.06/hr
Top earners	$74,200–$90,930$35.67–$43.72/hr

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

How El Centro, CA compares

El Centro ranks 6th of 25 California metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the El Centro area than nationally: 1.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.41 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $90,930, is 2.4 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,280: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other California metro areas

Other trades in El Centro, CA

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in El Centro, CA?: Welders in the El Centro, CA area earn a median of $58,350 a year, or $28.06 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $90,930 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in El Centro, CA?: The median hourly wage is $28.06. The middle half earn between $21.81 and $35.67 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in El Centro, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.40 an hour ($38,280 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.81.
Do welders make more in El Centro or San Francisco?: San Francisco pays more: the median is $58,350 in El Centro and $64,320 in San Francisco, a 9% difference.
How does El Centro pay compare with the rest of California?: The El Centro median of $58,350 is about the same as 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 20940 (El Centro, 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 (95.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures