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

The median hourly wage is $24.75. The middle half earn between $23.18 and $29.63 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Stockton, CA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.00 an hour ($41,600 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.18.

Do welders make more in Stockton or San Francisco?

San Francisco pays more: the median is $51,480 in Stockton and $64,320 in San Francisco, a 20% difference.

How does Stockton pay compare with the rest of California?

The Stockton median of $51,480 is 11% less than the California median of $58,060.

Welder salary in Stockton, CA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Stockton–Lodi, CA area earn a median of $51,480 a year, or $24.75 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $74,280 a year. That's 11% less than the California median of $58,060.

Median yearly pay$51,480

Bottom 10% under$41,600Top 10% over$74,280

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $20.00/hr
Jobs in this area: 740
After cost of living: $48,990
Median hourly pay: $24.75/hr
vs U.S. median: −4%
vs California median: −11%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 44700, Stockton-Lodi, 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	$41,600–$48,220$20.00–$23.18/hr
Experienced welder	$51,480$24.75/hr
Top earners	$61,630–$74,280$29.63–$35.71/hr

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

How Stockton, CA compares

Stockton ranks 18th of 25 California metro areas for welder pay.
Welders hold about the same share of jobs in the Stockton area as nationally: 2.6 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $74,280, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $41,600: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other California metro areas

Other trades in Stockton, CA

Electrician HVAC technician Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Stockton, CA?: Welders in the Stockton–Lodi, CA area earn a median of $51,480 a year, or $24.75 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $74,280 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Stockton, CA?: The median hourly wage is $24.75. The middle half earn between $23.18 and $29.63 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Stockton, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.00 an hour ($41,600 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.18.
Do welders make more in Stockton or San Francisco?: San Francisco pays more: the median is $51,480 in Stockton and $64,320 in San Francisco, a 20% difference.
How does Stockton pay compare with the rest of California?: The Stockton median of $51,480 is 11% 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 44700 (Stockton-Lodi, 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 (105.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures