How much do welders make an hour in Kansas?

The median hourly wage is $23.75. The middle half earn between $21.74 and $28.46 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Kansas?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.17 an hour ($37,790 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.74.

Where in Kansas do welders earn the most?

Among Kansas metro areas, St. Joseph has the highest median at $66,060 a year, and Joplin the lowest at $45,770.

Do welders in Kansas earn more than the national average?

The Kansas median of $49,410 is 8% less than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Kansas run 10% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $54,860 would nationally.

Welder salary in Kansas

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in Kansas earn a median of $49,410 a year, or $23.75 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $66,680. Nationally the median is $53,750, so Kansas pays 8% less than the U.S. overall and ranks 46th of 51.

Median yearly pay$49,410

Bottom 10% under$37,790Top 10% over$66,680

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.17/hr
Jobs in Kansas: 6,370
After cost of living: $54,860
Median hourly pay: $23.75/hr
vs U.S. median: −8%
Rank among states: 46th of 51

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 20). 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	$37,790–$45,210$18.17–$21.74/hr
Experienced welder	$49,410$23.75/hr
Top earners	$59,200–$66,680$28.46–$32.06/hr

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

How Kansas compares

Welders are more concentrated in Kansas than nationally: 4.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.7 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $66,680, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,790: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Pay by metro area

Rural Kansas

Kansas nonmetropolitan area$48,000

Other trades in Kansas

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Kansas?: Welders in Kansas earn a median of $49,410 a year, or $23.75 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $66,680.
How much do welders make an hour in Kansas?: The median hourly wage is $23.75. The middle half earn between $21.74 and $28.46 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Kansas?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.17 an hour ($37,790 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.74.
Where in Kansas do welders earn the most?: Among Kansas metro areas, St. Joseph has the highest median at $66,060 a year, and Joplin the lowest at $45,770.
Do welders in Kansas earn more than the national average?: The Kansas median of $49,410 is 8% less than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Kansas run 10% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $54,860 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 20. 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 (90.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures