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

The median hourly wage is $28.34. The middle half earn between $24.06 and $31.69 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Peoria, IL?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.35 an hour ($46,480 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.06.

Do welders make more in Peoria or Chicago?

Peoria pays more: the median is $58,960 in Peoria and $52,650 in Chicago, a 12% difference.

How does Peoria pay compare with the rest of Illinois?

The Peoria median of $58,960 is 15% more than the Illinois median of $51,320.

Welder salary in Peoria, IL

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Peoria, IL area earn a median of $58,960 a year, or $28.34 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $79,930. Across all of Illinois, the median is $51,320, so Peoria pays 15% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$58,960

Bottom 10% under$46,480Top 10% over$79,930

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.35/hr
Jobs in this area: 1,230
After cost of living: $64,630
Median hourly pay: $28.34/hr
vs U.S. median: +10%
vs Illinois median: +15%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 37900, Peoria, 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	$46,480–$50,050$22.35–$24.06/hr
Experienced welder	$58,960$28.34/hr
Top earners	$65,920–$79,930$31.69–$38.43/hr

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

How Peoria, IL compares

Peoria has the highest welder median of the 12 Illinois metro areas with published pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Peoria area than nationally: 7.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.8 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $79,930, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,480: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Illinois metro areas

Other trades in Peoria, IL

Electrician HVAC technician Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Peoria, IL?: Welders in the Peoria, IL area earn a median of $58,960 a year, or $28.34 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $79,930.
How much do welders make an hour in Peoria, IL?: The median hourly wage is $28.34. The middle half earn between $24.06 and $31.69 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Peoria, IL?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.35 an hour ($46,480 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.06.
Do welders make more in Peoria or Chicago?: Peoria pays more: the median is $58,960 in Peoria and $52,650 in Chicago, a 12% difference.
How does Peoria pay compare with the rest of Illinois?: The Peoria median of $58,960 is 15% 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 37900 (Peoria, 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 (91.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures