How much do welders make an hour in Michigan City, IN?

The median hourly wage is $25.68. The middle half earn between $22.22 and $28.64 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Michigan City, IN?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.17 an hour ($37,790 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.22.

Do welders make more in Michigan City or Chicago?

Michigan City pays more: the median is $53,420 in Michigan City and $52,650 in Chicago, a 1% difference.

How does Michigan City pay compare with the rest of Indiana?

The Michigan City median of $53,420 is 7% more than the Indiana median of $49,730.

Welder salary in Michigan City, IN

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Michigan City–La Porte, IN area earn a median of $53,420 a year, or $25.68 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $73,130 a year. Across all of Indiana, the median is $49,730, so Michigan City pays 7% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$53,420

Bottom 10% under$37,790Top 10% over$73,130

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.17/hr
Jobs in this area: 220
After cost of living: $58,270
Median hourly pay: $25.68/hr
vs U.S. median: −1%
vs Indiana median: +7%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 33140, Michigan City-La Porte, 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	$37,790–$46,220$18.17–$22.22/hr
Experienced welder	$53,420$25.68/hr
Top earners	$59,560–$73,130$28.64–$35.16/hr

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

How Michigan City, IN compares

Michigan City has the highest welder median of the 15 Indiana metro areas with published pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Michigan City area than nationally: 5.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.0 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $73,130, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,790: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Indiana metro areas

Other trades in Michigan City, IN

Electrician HVAC technician Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Michigan City, IN?: Welders in the Michigan City–La Porte, IN area earn a median of $53,420 a year, or $25.68 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $73,130 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Michigan City, IN?: The median hourly wage is $25.68. The middle half earn between $22.22 and $28.64 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Michigan City, IN?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.17 an hour ($37,790 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.22.
Do welders make more in Michigan City or Chicago?: Michigan City pays more: the median is $53,420 in Michigan City and $52,650 in Chicago, a 1% difference.
How does Michigan City pay compare with the rest of Indiana?: The Michigan City median of $53,420 is 7% more 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 33140 (Michigan City-La Porte, 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 (91.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures