How much do welders make an hour in Iowa?

The median hourly wage is $26.49. The middle half earn between $23.20 and $28.94 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Iowa?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.92 an hour ($45,590 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.20.

Where in Iowa do welders earn the most?

Among Iowa metro areas, Des Moines–West Des Moines has the highest median at $59,980 a year, and Davenport–Moline–Rock Island the lowest at $48,630.

Do welders in Iowa earn more than the national average?

The Iowa median of $55,090 is 2% more than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Iowa run 12% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $62,770 would nationally.

Welder salary in Iowa

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in Iowa earn a median of $55,090 a year, or $26.49 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $65,250. Nationally the median is $53,750, so Iowa pays 2% more than the U.S. overall and ranks 28th of 51.

Median yearly pay$55,090

Bottom 10% under$45,590Top 10% over$65,250

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.92/hr
Jobs in Iowa: 9,270
After cost of living: $62,770
Median hourly pay: $26.49/hr
vs U.S. median: +2%
Rank among states: 28th of 51

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 19). 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	$45,590–$48,250$21.92–$23.20/hr
Experienced welder	$55,090$26.49/hr
Top earners	$60,200–$65,250$28.94–$31.37/hr

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

How Iowa compares

Welders are more concentrated in Iowa than nationally: 5.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.2 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $65,250, is 1.4 times the 10th-percentile wage, $45,590: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Pay by metro area

See all Iowa metro areas

Davenport–Moline–Rock Island$48,630

Rural Iowa

Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area$56,530
Northeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area$51,060
Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area$50,380
Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area$50,340

Other trades in Iowa

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Iowa?: Welders in Iowa earn a median of $55,090 a year, or $26.49 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $65,250.
How much do welders make an hour in Iowa?: The median hourly wage is $26.49. The middle half earn between $23.20 and $28.94 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Iowa?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.92 an hour ($45,590 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.20.
Where in Iowa do welders earn the most?: Among Iowa metro areas, Des Moines–West Des Moines has the highest median at $59,980 a year, and Davenport–Moline–Rock Island the lowest at $48,630.
Do welders in Iowa earn more than the national average?: The Iowa median of $55,090 is 2% more than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Iowa run 12% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $62,770 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 19. 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 (87.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures