How much do welders make an hour in Iowa City, IA?

The median hourly wage is $27.78. The middle half earn between $23.41 and $31.26 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Iowa City, IA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.35 an hour ($46,480 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.41.

Do welders make more in Iowa City or Des Moines?

Des Moines pays more: the median is $57,780 in Iowa City and $59,980 in Des Moines, a 4% difference.

How does Iowa City pay compare with the rest of Iowa?

The Iowa City median of $57,780 is 5% more than the Iowa median of $55,090.

Welder salary in Iowa City, IA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Iowa City, IA area earn a median of $57,780 a year, or $27.78 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $75,420. That's 5% more than the Iowa median of $55,090.

Median yearly pay$57,780

Bottom 10% under$46,480Top 10% over$75,420

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.35/hr
Jobs in this area: 130
After cost of living: $63,140
Median hourly pay: $27.78/hr
vs U.S. median: +7%
vs Iowa median: +5%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 26980, Iowa City, 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	$46,480–$48,680$22.35–$23.41/hr
Experienced welder	$57,780$27.78/hr
Top earners	$65,030–$75,420$31.26–$36.26/hr

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

How Iowa City, IA compares

Iowa City ranks 4th of 9 Iowa metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Iowa City area than nationally: 1.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.51 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $75,420, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,480: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Iowa metro areas

Other trades in Iowa City, IA

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Iowa City, IA?: Welders in the Iowa City, IA area earn a median of $57,780 a year, or $27.78 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $75,420.
How much do welders make an hour in Iowa City, IA?: The median hourly wage is $27.78. The middle half earn between $23.41 and $31.26 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Iowa City, IA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.35 an hour ($46,480 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.41.
Do welders make more in Iowa City or Des Moines?: Des Moines pays more: the median is $57,780 in Iowa City and $59,980 in Des Moines, a 4% difference.
How does Iowa City pay compare with the rest of Iowa?: The Iowa City median of $57,780 is 5% 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 26980 (Iowa City, 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 (91.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures