How much do welders make an hour in Lafayette, IN?

The median hourly wage is $23.57. The middle half earn between $23.51 and $25.68 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Lafayette, IN?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.95 an hour ($39,410 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.51.

Do welders make more in Lafayette or Chicago?

Chicago pays more: the median is $49,020 in Lafayette and $52,650 in Chicago, a 7% difference.

How does Lafayette pay compare with the rest of Indiana?

The Lafayette median of $49,020 is 1% less than the Indiana median of $49,730.

Welder salary in Lafayette, IN

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Lafayette–West Lafayette, IN area earn a median of $49,020 a year, or $23.57 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $61,780. Across all of Indiana, the median is $49,730, so Lafayette pays 1% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$49,020

Bottom 10% under$39,410Top 10% over$61,780

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.95/hr
Jobs in this area: 560
After cost of living: $52,470
Median hourly pay: $23.57/hr
vs U.S. median: −9%
vs Indiana median: −1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 29200, Lafayette-West Lafayette, 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	$39,410–$48,910$18.95–$23.51/hr
Experienced welder	$49,020$23.57/hr
Top earners	$53,420–$61,780$25.68–$29.70/hr

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

How Lafayette, IN compares

Lafayette ranks 12th of 15 Indiana metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Lafayette area than nationally: 5.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.0 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $61,780, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,410: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Indiana metro areas

Other trades in Lafayette, IN

Electrician HVAC technician Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Lafayette, IN?: Welders in the Lafayette–West Lafayette, IN area earn a median of $49,020 a year, or $23.57 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $61,780.
How much do welders make an hour in Lafayette, IN?: The median hourly wage is $23.57. The middle half earn between $23.51 and $25.68 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Lafayette, IN?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.95 an hour ($39,410 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.51.
Do welders make more in Lafayette or Chicago?: Chicago pays more: the median is $49,020 in Lafayette and $52,650 in Chicago, a 7% difference.
How does Lafayette pay compare with the rest of Indiana?: The Lafayette median of $49,020 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 29200 (Lafayette-West Lafayette, 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 (93.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures