How much do welders make an hour in Topeka, KS?

The median hourly wage is $24.71. The middle half earn between $21.91 and $28.46 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Topeka, KS?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.00 an hour ($37,440 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.91.

Do welders make more in Topeka or St. Joseph?

St. Joseph pays more: the median is $51,390 in Topeka and $66,060 in St. Joseph, a 22% difference.

How does Topeka pay compare with the rest of Kansas?

The Topeka median of $51,390 is 4% more than the Kansas median of $49,410.

Welder salary in Topeka, KS

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Topeka, KS area earn a median of $51,390 a year, or $24.71 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $71,510 a year. Statewide, welders earn a median of $49,410; Topeka is 4% above it.

Median yearly pay$51,390

Bottom 10% under$37,440Top 10% over$71,510

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.00/hr
Jobs in this area: 330
After cost of living: $57,860
Median hourly pay: $24.71/hr
vs U.S. median: −4%
vs Kansas median: +4%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 45820, Topeka, KS). 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	$37,440–$45,580$18.00–$21.91/hr
Experienced welder	$51,390$24.71/hr
Top earners	$59,200–$71,510$28.46–$34.38/hr

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

How Topeka, KS compares

Topeka ranks 4th of 7 Kansas metro areas for welder pay.
Welders hold about the same share of jobs in the Topeka area as nationally: 2.8 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $71,510, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,440: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Kansas metro areas

Other trades in Topeka, KS

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Topeka, KS?: Welders in the Topeka, KS area earn a median of $51,390 a year, or $24.71 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $71,510 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Topeka, KS?: The median hourly wage is $24.71. The middle half earn between $21.91 and $28.46 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Topeka, KS?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.00 an hour ($37,440 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.91.
Do welders make more in Topeka or St. Joseph?: St. Joseph pays more: the median is $51,390 in Topeka and $66,060 in St. Joseph, a 22% difference.
How does Topeka pay compare with the rest of Kansas?: The Topeka median of $51,390 is 4% more than the Kansas median of $49,410.

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 45820 (Topeka, KS). 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 (88.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures