How much do welders make an hour in Des Moines, IA?

The median hourly wage is $28.84. The middle half earn between $23.81 and $29.64 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Des Moines, IA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.70 an hour ($47,220 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.81.

Do welders make more in Des Moines or Sioux City?

Des Moines pays more: the median is $59,980 in Des Moines and $58,230 in Sioux City, a 3% difference.

How does Des Moines pay compare with the rest of Iowa?

The Des Moines median of $59,980 is 9% more than the Iowa median of $55,090.

Welder salary in Des Moines, IA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA area earn a median of $59,980 a year, or $28.84 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $74,850. Statewide, welders earn a median of $55,090; Des Moines is 9% above it.

Median yearly pay$59,980

Bottom 10% under$47,220Top 10% over$74,850

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.70/hr
Jobs in this area: 1,170
After cost of living: $65,410
Median hourly pay: $28.84/hr
vs U.S. median: +12%
vs Iowa median: +9%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 19780, Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA). 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	$47,220–$49,520$22.70–$23.81/hr
Experienced welder	$59,980$28.84/hr
Top earners	$61,650–$74,850$29.64–$35.99/hr

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

How Des Moines, IA compares

Des Moines has the highest welder median of the 9 Iowa metro areas with published pay.
Welders hold about the same share of jobs in the Des Moines area as nationally: 2.9 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $74,850, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,220: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Iowa metro areas

Other trades in Des Moines, IA

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Des Moines, IA?: Welders in the Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA area earn a median of $59,980 a year, or $28.84 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $74,850.
How much do welders make an hour in Des Moines, IA?: The median hourly wage is $28.84. The middle half earn between $23.81 and $29.64 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Des Moines, IA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.70 an hour ($47,220 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.81.
Do welders make more in Des Moines or Sioux City?: Des Moines pays more: the median is $59,980 in Des Moines and $58,230 in Sioux City, a 3% difference.
How does Des Moines pay compare with the rest of Iowa?: The Des Moines median of $59,980 is 9% more than the Iowa median of $55,090.

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 19780 (Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA). 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