How much do welders make an hour in Lakeland, FL?

The median hourly wage is $23.33. The middle half earn between $21.29 and $28.98 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Lakeland, FL?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.98 an hour ($39,480 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.29.

Do welders make more in Lakeland or Miami?

Miami pays more: the median is $48,520 in Lakeland and $54,590 in Miami, a 11% difference.

How does Lakeland pay compare with the rest of Florida?

The Lakeland median of $48,520 is 4% less than the Florida median of $50,640.

Welder salary in Lakeland, FL

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Lakeland–Winter Haven, FL area earn a median of $48,520 a year, or $23.33 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $67,000. That's 4% less than the Florida median of $50,640.

Median yearly pay$48,520

Bottom 10% under$39,480Top 10% over$67,000

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.98/hr
Jobs in this area: 820
After cost of living: $49,950
Median hourly pay: $23.33/hr
vs U.S. median: −10%
vs Florida median: −4%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 29460, Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL). 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	$39,480–$44,290$18.98–$21.29/hr
Experienced welder	$48,520$23.33/hr
Top earners	$60,290–$67,000$28.98–$32.21/hr

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

How Lakeland, FL compares

Lakeland ranks 15th of 22 Florida metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Lakeland area than nationally: 3.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.1 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $67,000, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,480: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Florida metro areas

Other trades in Lakeland, FL

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Lakeland, FL?: Welders in the Lakeland–Winter Haven, FL area earn a median of $48,520 a year, or $23.33 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $67,000.
How much do welders make an hour in Lakeland, FL?: The median hourly wage is $23.33. The middle half earn between $21.29 and $28.98 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Lakeland, FL?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.98 an hour ($39,480 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.29.
Do welders make more in Lakeland or Miami?: Miami pays more: the median is $48,520 in Lakeland and $54,590 in Miami, a 11% difference.
How does Lakeland pay compare with the rest of Florida?: The Lakeland median of $48,520 is 4% less than the Florida median of $50,640.

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 29460 (Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL). 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 (97.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures