How much do welders make an hour in Chicago, IL-IN?

The median hourly wage is $25.31. The middle half earn between $22.24 and $29.69 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Chicago, IL-IN?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.81 an hour ($39,130 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.24.

Do welders make more in Chicago or Peoria?

Peoria pays more: the median is $52,650 in Chicago and $58,960 in Peoria, a 11% difference.

How does Chicago pay compare with the rest of Illinois?

The Chicago median of $52,650 is 3% more than the Illinois median of $51,320.

Welder salary in Chicago, IL-IN

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL-IN area earn a median of $52,650 a year, or $25.31 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $74,450. Statewide, welders earn a median of $51,320; Chicago is 3% above it.

Median yearly pay$52,650

Bottom 10% under$39,130Top 10% over$74,450

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.81/hr
Jobs in this area: 9,320
After cost of living: $50,820
Median hourly pay: $25.31/hr
vs U.S. median: −2%
vs Illinois median: +3%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 16980, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN). 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	$39,130–$46,270$18.81–$22.24/hr
Experienced welder	$52,650$25.31/hr
Top earners	$61,750–$74,450$29.69–$35.79/hr

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

How Chicago, IL-IN compares

Chicago ranks 3rd of 12 Illinois metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Chicago area than nationally: 2.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.77 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $74,450, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,130: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Illinois metro areas

Other trades in Chicago, IL-IN

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Chicago, IL-IN?: Welders in the Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL-IN area earn a median of $52,650 a year, or $25.31 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $74,450.
How much do welders make an hour in Chicago, IL-IN?: The median hourly wage is $25.31. The middle half earn between $22.24 and $29.69 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Chicago, IL-IN?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.81 an hour ($39,130 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.24.
Do welders make more in Chicago or Peoria?: Peoria pays more: the median is $52,650 in Chicago and $58,960 in Peoria, a 11% difference.
How does Chicago pay compare with the rest of Illinois?: The Chicago median of $52,650 is 3% more 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 16980 (Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN). 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 (103.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures