How much do welders make an hour in Colorado?

The median hourly wage is $28.17. The middle half earn between $23.01 and $33.43 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Colorado?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.20 an hour ($44,100 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.01.

Where in Colorado do welders earn the most?

Among Colorado metro areas, Boulder has the highest median at $65,040 a year, and Pueblo the lowest at $51,190.

Do welders in Colorado earn more than the national average?

The Colorado median of $58,590 is 9% more than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Colorado run 3% above the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $56,850 would nationally.

Welder salary in Colorado

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in Colorado earn a median of $58,590 a year, or $28.17 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $79,700 a year. That's 9% more than the national median of $53,750, 21st of 51 states and DC.

Median yearly pay$58,590

Bottom 10% under$44,100Top 10% over$79,700

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.20/hr
Jobs in Colorado: 4,970
After cost of living: $56,850
Median hourly pay: $28.17/hr
vs U.S. median: +9%
Rank among states: 21st of 51

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 08). 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	$44,100–$47,860$21.20–$23.01/hr
Experienced welder	$58,590$28.17/hr
Top earners	$69,540–$79,700$33.43–$38.32/hr

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

How Colorado compares

Welders are less concentrated in Colorado than nationally: 1.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.65 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $79,700, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $44,100: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Pay by metro area

Rural Colorado

Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area$63,740
Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area$60,100
Eastern and Southern Colorado nonmetropolitan area$51,110

Other trades in Colorado

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Colorado?: Welders in Colorado earn a median of $58,590 a year, or $28.17 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $79,700 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Colorado?: The median hourly wage is $28.17. The middle half earn between $23.01 and $33.43 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Colorado?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.20 an hour ($44,100 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.01.
Where in Colorado do welders earn the most?: Among Colorado metro areas, Boulder has the highest median at $65,040 a year, and Pueblo the lowest at $51,190.
Do welders in Colorado earn more than the national average?: The Colorado median of $58,590 is 9% more than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Colorado run 3% above the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $56,850 would nationally.

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 08. 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 (103.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures