How much do welders make an hour in Indiana?

The median hourly wage is $23.91. The middle half earn between $21.94 and $29.19 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Indiana?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.46 an hour ($38,410 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.94.

Where in Indiana do welders earn the most?

Among Indiana metro areas, Michigan City–La Porte has the highest median at $53,420 a year, and Bloomington the lowest at $44,730.

Do welders in Indiana earn more than the national average?

The Indiana median of $49,730 is 7% less than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Indiana run 7% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $53,280 would nationally.

Welder salary in Indiana

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in Indiana earn a median of $49,730 a year, or $23.91 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $74,880 a year. Nationally the median is $53,750, so Indiana pays 7% less than the U.S. overall and ranks 43rd of 51.

Median yearly pay$49,730

Bottom 10% under$38,410Top 10% over$74,880

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.46/hr
Jobs in Indiana: 13,280
After cost of living: $53,280
Median hourly pay: $23.91/hr
vs U.S. median: −7%
Rank among states: 43rd of 51

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 18). 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	$38,410–$45,620$18.46–$21.94/hr
Experienced welder	$49,730$23.91/hr
Top earners	$60,710–$74,880$29.19–$36.00/hr

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

How Indiana compares

Welders are more concentrated in Indiana than nationally: 4.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.6 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $74,880, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,410: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Pay by metro area

See all Indiana metro areas

Rural Indiana

Central Indiana nonmetropolitan area$49,290
Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area$48,650
Southern Indiana nonmetropolitan area$48,570

Other trades in Indiana

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Indiana?: Welders in Indiana earn a median of $49,730 a year, or $23.91 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $74,880 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Indiana?: The median hourly wage is $23.91. The middle half earn between $21.94 and $29.19 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Indiana?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.46 an hour ($38,410 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.94.
Where in Indiana do welders earn the most?: Among Indiana metro areas, Michigan City–La Porte has the highest median at $53,420 a year, and Bloomington the lowest at $44,730.
Do welders in Indiana earn more than the national average?: The Indiana median of $49,730 is 7% less than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Indiana run 7% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $53,280 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 18. 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 (93.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures