Welder salary in Grand Junction, CO
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Welders in the Grand Junction, CO area earn a median of $51,580 a year, or $24.80 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $74,620 a year. That's 12% less than the Colorado median of $58,590.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $19.62/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 170
- After cost of living
- $54,020
- Median hourly pay
- $24.80/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −4%
- vs Colorado median
- −12%
Entry-level to top welder pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Entry level | $40,800–$47,660$19.62–$22.92/hr | |
| Experienced welder | $51,580$24.80/hr | |
| Top earners | $62,670–$74,620$30.13–$35.87/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Grand Junction, CO compares
- Grand Junction ranks 6th of 7 Colorado metro areas for welder pay.
- Welders hold about the same share of jobs in the Grand Junction area as nationally: 2.6 of every 1,000 jobs.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $74,620, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $40,800: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Colorado metro areas
Other trades in Grand Junction, CO
Questions
- How much do welders make in Grand Junction, CO?
- Welders in the Grand Junction, CO area earn a median of $51,580 a year, or $24.80 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $74,620 a year.
- How much do welders make an hour in Grand Junction, CO?
- The median hourly wage is $24.80. The middle half earn between $22.92 and $30.13 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice welders make in Grand Junction, CO?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.62 an hour ($40,800 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.92.
- Do welders make more in Grand Junction or Fort Collins?
- Fort Collins pays more: the median is $51,580 in Grand Junction and $59,660 in Fort Collins, a 14% difference.
- How does Grand Junction pay compare with the rest of Colorado?
- The Grand Junction median of $51,580 is 12% less 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 24300 (Grand Junction, 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 (95.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures