How much do welders make an hour in Illinois?

The median hourly wage is $24.67. The middle half earn between $22.36 and $29.58 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Illinois?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.70 an hour ($38,890 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.36.

Where in Illinois do welders earn the most?

Among Illinois metro areas, Peoria has the highest median at $58,960 a year, and Bloomington the lowest at $47,180.

Do welders in Illinois earn more than the national average?

The Illinois median of $51,320 is 5% less than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Illinois run 0% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $51,340 would nationally.

Welder salary in Illinois

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in Illinois earn a median of $51,320 a year, or $24.67 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $76,730. Illinois ranks 34th of 51 states and DC for welder pay, at 5% less than the U.S. median of $53,750.

Median yearly pay$51,320

Bottom 10% under$38,890Top 10% over$76,730

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.70/hr
Jobs in Illinois: 16,260
After cost of living: $51,340
Median hourly pay: $24.67/hr
vs U.S. median: −5%
Rank among states: 34th of 51

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 17). 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	$38,890–$46,500$18.70–$22.36/hr
Experienced welder	$51,320$24.67/hr
Top earners	$61,520–$76,730$29.58–$36.89/hr

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

How Illinois compares

Welders hold about the same share of jobs in Illinois as nationally: 2.7 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $76,730, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,890: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Pay by metro area

See all Illinois metro areas

Rural Illinois

South Illinois nonmetropolitan area$56,160
West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area$52,230
Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area$52,050
East Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area$48,870

Other trades in Illinois

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Illinois?: Welders in Illinois earn a median of $51,320 a year, or $24.67 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $76,730.
How much do welders make an hour in Illinois?: The median hourly wage is $24.67. The middle half earn between $22.36 and $29.58 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Illinois?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.70 an hour ($38,890 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.36.
Where in Illinois do welders earn the most?: Among Illinois metro areas, Peoria has the highest median at $58,960 a year, and Bloomington the lowest at $47,180.
Do welders in Illinois earn more than the national average?: The Illinois median of $51,320 is 5% less than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Illinois run 0% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $51,340 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 17. 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 (100.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures