How much do welders make an hour in Kentucky?

The median hourly wage is $24.74. The middle half earn between $22.30 and $28.80 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Kentucky?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.89 an hour ($39,300 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.30.

Where in Kentucky do welders earn the most?

Among Kentucky metro areas, Elizabethtown has the highest median at $59,900 a year, and Huntington–Ashland the lowest at $46,980.

Do welders in Kentucky earn more than the national average?

The Kentucky median of $51,470 is 4% less than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Kentucky run 10% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $57,090 would nationally.

Welder salary in Kentucky

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in Kentucky earn a median of $51,470 a year, or $24.74 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $69,010. That's 4% less than the national median of $53,750, 33rd of 51 states and DC.

Median yearly pay$51,470

Bottom 10% under$39,300Top 10% over$69,010

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.89/hr
Jobs in Kentucky: 6,630
After cost of living: $57,090
Median hourly pay: $24.74/hr
vs U.S. median: −4%
Rank among states: 33rd of 51

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 21). 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	$39,300–$46,380$18.89–$22.30/hr
Experienced welder	$51,470$24.74/hr
Top earners	$59,900–$69,010$28.80–$33.18/hr

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

How Kentucky compares

Welders are more concentrated in Kentucky than nationally: 3.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.2 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $69,010, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,300: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Pay by metro area

See all Kentucky metro areas

Huntington–AshlandWV-KY-OH$46,980

Rural Kentucky

East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area$57,660
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area$50,930
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area$47,010
Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area$46,920

Other trades in Kentucky

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Kentucky?: Welders in Kentucky earn a median of $51,470 a year, or $24.74 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $69,010.
How much do welders make an hour in Kentucky?: The median hourly wage is $24.74. The middle half earn between $22.30 and $28.80 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Kentucky?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.89 an hour ($39,300 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.30.
Where in Kentucky do welders earn the most?: Among Kentucky metro areas, Elizabethtown has the highest median at $59,900 a year, and Huntington–Ashland the lowest at $46,980.
Do welders in Kentucky earn more than the national average?: The Kentucky median of $51,470 is 4% less than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Kentucky run 10% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $57,090 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 21. 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 (90.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures