How much do welders make an hour in Fort Wayne, IN?

The median hourly wage is $23.70. The middle half earn between $21.91 and $28.63 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Fort Wayne, IN?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.44 an hour ($38,340 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.91.

Do welders make more in Fort Wayne or Chicago?

Chicago pays more: the median is $49,300 in Fort Wayne and $52,650 in Chicago, a 6% difference.

How does Fort Wayne pay compare with the rest of Indiana?

The Fort Wayne median of $49,300 is 1% less than the Indiana median of $49,730.

Welder salary in Fort Wayne, IN

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Fort Wayne, IN area earn a median of $49,300 a year, or $23.70 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $63,730. That's 1% less than the Indiana median of $49,730.

Median yearly pay$49,300

Bottom 10% under$38,340Top 10% over$63,730

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.44/hr
Jobs in this area: 890
After cost of living: $53,260
Median hourly pay: $23.70/hr
vs U.S. median: −8%
vs Indiana median: −1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 23060, Fort Wayne, 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	$38,340–$45,570$18.44–$21.91/hr
Experienced welder	$49,300$23.70/hr
Top earners	$59,540–$63,730$28.63–$30.64/hr

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

How Fort Wayne, IN compares

Fort Wayne ranks 11th of 15 Indiana metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Fort Wayne area than nationally: 3.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.5 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $63,730, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,340: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Indiana metro areas

Other trades in Fort Wayne, IN

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Fort Wayne, IN?: Welders in the Fort Wayne, IN area earn a median of $49,300 a year, or $23.70 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $63,730.
How much do welders make an hour in Fort Wayne, IN?: The median hourly wage is $23.70. The middle half earn between $21.91 and $28.63 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Fort Wayne, IN?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.44 an hour ($38,340 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.91.
Do welders make more in Fort Wayne or Chicago?: Chicago pays more: the median is $49,300 in Fort Wayne and $52,650 in Chicago, a 6% difference.
How does Fort Wayne pay compare with the rest of Indiana?: The Fort Wayne median of $49,300 is 1% less than the Indiana median of $49,730.

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 23060 (Fort Wayne, 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 (92.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures