How much do welders make an hour in Waterloo, IA?

The median hourly wage is $24.56. The middle half earn between $22.80 and $28.40 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Waterloo, IA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.26 an hour ($46,300 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.80.

Do welders make more in Waterloo or Des Moines?

Des Moines pays more: the median is $51,080 in Waterloo and $59,980 in Des Moines, a 15% difference.

How does Waterloo pay compare with the rest of Iowa?

The Waterloo median of $51,080 is 7% less than the Iowa median of $55,090.

Welder salary in Waterloo, IA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Waterloo–Cedar Falls, IA area earn a median of $51,080 a year, or $24.56 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $63,950. Statewide, welders earn a median of $55,090; Waterloo is 7% below it.

Median yearly pay$51,080

Bottom 10% under$46,300Top 10% over$63,950

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.26/hr
Jobs in this area: 540
After cost of living: $58,670
Median hourly pay: $24.56/hr
vs U.S. median: −5%
vs Iowa median: −7%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 47940, Waterloo-Cedar Falls, 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	$46,300–$47,430$22.26–$22.80/hr
Experienced welder	$51,080$24.56/hr
Top earners	$59,060–$63,950$28.40–$30.75/hr

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

How Waterloo, IA compares

Waterloo ranks 8th of 9 Iowa metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Waterloo area than nationally: 6.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.4 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $63,950, is 1.4 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,300: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Iowa metro areas

Other trades in Waterloo, IA

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Waterloo, IA?: Welders in the Waterloo–Cedar Falls, IA area earn a median of $51,080 a year, or $24.56 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $63,950.
How much do welders make an hour in Waterloo, IA?: The median hourly wage is $24.56. The middle half earn between $22.80 and $28.40 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Waterloo, IA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.26 an hour ($46,300 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.80.
Do welders make more in Waterloo or Des Moines?: Des Moines pays more: the median is $51,080 in Waterloo and $59,980 in Des Moines, a 15% difference.
How does Waterloo pay compare with the rest of Iowa?: The Waterloo median of $51,080 is 7% less 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 47940 (Waterloo-Cedar Falls, 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 (87.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures