How much do welders make an hour in Denver, CO?

The median hourly wage is $28.31. The middle half earn between $23.02 and $34.02 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Denver, CO?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.66 an hour ($45,060 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.02.

Do welders make more in Denver or Boulder?

Boulder pays more: the median is $58,890 in Denver and $65,040 in Boulder, a 9% difference.

How does Denver pay compare with the rest of Colorado?

The Denver median of $58,890 is 1% more than the Colorado median of $58,590.

Welder salary in Denver, CO

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Denver–Aurora–Centennial, CO area earn a median of $58,890 a year, or $28.31 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $79,700. Across all of Colorado, the median is $58,590, so Denver pays 1% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$58,890

Bottom 10% under$45,060Top 10% over$79,700

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.66/hr
Jobs in this area: 1,990
After cost of living: $55,670
Median hourly pay: $28.31/hr
vs U.S. median: +10%
vs Colorado median: +1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 19740, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO). 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	$45,060–$47,870$21.66–$23.02/hr
Experienced welder	$58,890$28.31/hr
Top earners	$70,760–$79,700$34.02–$38.32/hr

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

How Denver, CO compares

Denver ranks 4th of 7 Colorado metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Denver area than nationally: 1.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.46 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $79,700, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $45,060: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Colorado metro areas

Other trades in Denver, CO

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Denver, CO?: Welders in the Denver–Aurora–Centennial, CO area earn a median of $58,890 a year, or $28.31 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $79,700.
How much do welders make an hour in Denver, CO?: The median hourly wage is $28.31. The middle half earn between $23.02 and $34.02 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Denver, CO?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.66 an hour ($45,060 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.02.
Do welders make more in Denver or Boulder?: Boulder pays more: the median is $58,890 in Denver and $65,040 in Boulder, a 9% difference.
How does Denver pay compare with the rest of Colorado?: The Denver median of $58,890 is 1% more than the Colorado median of $58,590.

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 19740 (Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO). 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 (105.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures