How much do welders make an hour in Fort Collins, CO?

The median hourly wage is $28.68. The middle half earn between $22.81 and $34.08 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Fort Collins, CO?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.32 an hour ($44,350 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.81.

Do welders make more in Fort Collins or Boulder?

Boulder pays more: the median is $59,660 in Fort Collins and $65,040 in Boulder, a 8% difference.

How does Fort Collins pay compare with the rest of Colorado?

The Fort Collins median of $59,660 is 2% more than the Colorado median of $58,590.

Welder salary in Fort Collins, CO

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Fort Collins–Loveland, CO area earn a median of $59,660 a year, or $28.68 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $74,130. That's 2% more than the Colorado median of $58,590.

Median yearly pay$59,660

Bottom 10% under$44,350Top 10% over$74,130

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.32/hr
Jobs in this area: 440
After cost of living: $58,990
Median hourly pay: $28.68/hr
vs U.S. median: +11%
vs Colorado median: +2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 22660, Fort Collins-Loveland, 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	$44,350–$47,450$21.32–$22.81/hr
Experienced welder	$59,660$28.68/hr
Top earners	$70,890–$74,130$34.08–$35.64/hr

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

How Fort Collins, CO compares

Fort Collins ranks 2nd of 7 Colorado metro areas for welder pay.
Welders hold about the same share of jobs in the Fort Collins area as nationally: 2.6 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $74,130, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $44,350: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Colorado metro areas

Other trades in Fort Collins, CO

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Fort Collins, CO?: Welders in the Fort Collins–Loveland, CO area earn a median of $59,660 a year, or $28.68 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $74,130.
How much do welders make an hour in Fort Collins, CO?: The median hourly wage is $28.68. The middle half earn between $22.81 and $34.08 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Fort Collins, CO?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.32 an hour ($44,350 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.81.
Do welders make more in Fort Collins or Boulder?: Boulder pays more: the median is $59,660 in Fort Collins and $65,040 in Boulder, a 8% difference.
How does Fort Collins pay compare with the rest of Colorado?: The Fort Collins median of $59,660 is 2% 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 22660 (Fort Collins-Loveland, 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 (101.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures