How much do welders make an hour in Owensboro, KY?

The median hourly wage is $24.86. The middle half earn between $21.63 and $24.86 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Owensboro, KY?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.31 an hour ($40,160 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.63.

Do welders make more in Owensboro or Elizabethtown?

Elizabethtown pays more: the median is $51,700 in Owensboro and $59,900 in Elizabethtown, a 14% difference.

How does Owensboro pay compare with the rest of Kentucky?

The Owensboro median of $51,700 is about the same as the Kentucky median of $51,470.

Welder salary in Owensboro, KY

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Owensboro, KY area earn a median of $51,700 a year, or $24.86 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $60,170. That's about the same as the Kentucky median of $51,470.

Median yearly pay$51,700

Bottom 10% under$40,160Top 10% over$60,170

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $19.31/hr
Jobs in this area: 410
After cost of living: $58,350
Median hourly pay: $24.86/hr
vs U.S. median: −4%
vs Kentucky median: 0%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 36980, Owensboro, KY). 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	$40,160–$44,990$19.31–$21.63/hr
Experienced welder	$51,700$24.86/hr
Top earners	$51,700–$60,170$24.86–$28.93/hr

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

How Owensboro, KY compares

Owensboro ranks 6th of 9 Kentucky metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Owensboro area than nationally: 8.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 3.1 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $60,170, is 1.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $40,160: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Kentucky metro areas

Other trades in Owensboro, KY

Electrician HVAC technician Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Owensboro, KY?: Welders in the Owensboro, KY area earn a median of $51,700 a year, or $24.86 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $60,170.
How much do welders make an hour in Owensboro, KY?: The median hourly wage is $24.86. The middle half earn between $21.63 and $24.86 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Owensboro, KY?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.31 an hour ($40,160 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.63.
Do welders make more in Owensboro or Elizabethtown?: Elizabethtown pays more: the median is $51,700 in Owensboro and $59,900 in Elizabethtown, a 14% difference.
How does Owensboro pay compare with the rest of Kentucky?: The Owensboro median of $51,700 is about the same as the Kentucky median of $51,470.

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 36980 (Owensboro, KY). 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 (88.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures