How much do welders make an hour in South Bend, IN-MI?

The median hourly wage is $22.92. The middle half earn between $21.76 and $27.90 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in South Bend, IN-MI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.48 an hour ($38,440 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.76.

Do welders make more in South Bend or Chicago?

Chicago pays more: the median is $47,670 in South Bend and $52,650 in Chicago, a 9% difference.

How does South Bend pay compare with the rest of Indiana?

The South Bend median of $47,670 is 4% less than the Indiana median of $49,730.

Welder salary in South Bend, IN-MI

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the South Bend–Mishawaka, IN-MI area earn a median of $47,670 a year, or $22.92 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $64,520 a year. Across all of Indiana, the median is $49,730, so South Bend pays 4% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$47,670

Bottom 10% under$38,440Top 10% over$64,520

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.48/hr
Jobs in this area: 360
After cost of living: $51,340
Median hourly pay: $22.92/hr
vs U.S. median: −11%
vs Indiana median: −4%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 43780, South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI). 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	$38,440–$45,250$18.48–$21.76/hr
Experienced welder	$47,670$22.92/hr
Top earners	$58,030–$64,520$27.90–$31.02/hr

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

How South Bend, IN-MI compares

South Bend ranks 13th of 15 Indiana metro areas for welder pay.
Welders hold about the same share of jobs in the South Bend area as nationally: 2.7 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $64,520, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,440: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Indiana metro areas

Other trades in South Bend, IN-MI

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in South Bend, IN-MI?: Welders in the South Bend–Mishawaka, IN-MI area earn a median of $47,670 a year, or $22.92 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $64,520 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in South Bend, IN-MI?: The median hourly wage is $22.92. The middle half earn between $21.76 and $27.90 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in South Bend, IN-MI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.48 an hour ($38,440 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.76.
Do welders make more in South Bend or Chicago?: Chicago pays more: the median is $47,670 in South Bend and $52,650 in Chicago, a 9% difference.
How does South Bend pay compare with the rest of Indiana?: The South Bend median of $47,670 is 4% 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 43780 (South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI). 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 (92.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures