How much do welders make an hour in Champaign, IL?

The median hourly wage is $23.37. The middle half earn between $21.66 and $27.42 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Champaign, IL?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.87 an hour ($39,250 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.66.

Do welders make more in Champaign or Peoria?

Peoria pays more: the median is $48,610 in Champaign and $58,960 in Peoria, a 18% difference.

How does Champaign pay compare with the rest of Illinois?

The Champaign median of $48,610 is 5% less than the Illinois median of $51,320.

Welder salary in Champaign, IL

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Champaign–Urbana, IL area earn a median of $48,610 a year, or $23.37 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $62,690. That's 5% less than the Illinois median of $51,320.

Median yearly pay$48,610

Bottom 10% under$39,250Top 10% over$62,690

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.87/hr
Jobs in this area: 100
After cost of living: $52,440
Median hourly pay: $23.37/hr
vs U.S. median: −10%
vs Illinois median: −5%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 16580, Champaign-Urbana, IL). 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	$39,250–$45,040$18.87–$21.66/hr
Experienced welder	$48,610$23.37/hr
Top earners	$57,020–$62,690$27.42–$30.14/hr

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

How Champaign, IL compares

Champaign ranks 8th of 12 Illinois metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Champaign area than nationally: 0.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.35 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $62,690, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,250: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Illinois metro areas

Other trades in Champaign, IL

Electrician HVAC technician Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Champaign, IL?: Welders in the Champaign–Urbana, IL area earn a median of $48,610 a year, or $23.37 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $62,690.
How much do welders make an hour in Champaign, IL?: The median hourly wage is $23.37. The middle half earn between $21.66 and $27.42 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Champaign, IL?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.87 an hour ($39,250 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.66.
Do welders make more in Champaign or Peoria?: Peoria pays more: the median is $48,610 in Champaign and $58,960 in Peoria, a 18% difference.
How does Champaign pay compare with the rest of Illinois?: The Champaign median of $48,610 is 5% less than the Illinois median of $51,320.

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 16580 (Champaign-Urbana, IL). 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 (92.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures