How much do welders make an hour in Lake Charles, LA?

The median hourly wage is $35.06. The middle half earn between $28.62 and $36.87 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Lake Charles, LA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.13 an hour ($50,190 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.62.

Do welders make more in Lake Charles or Baton Rouge?

Baton Rouge pays more: the median is $72,920 in Lake Charles and $78,170 in Baton Rouge, a 7% difference.

How does Lake Charles pay compare with the rest of Louisiana?

The Lake Charles median of $72,920 is 17% more than the Louisiana median of $62,250.

Welder salary in Lake Charles, LA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Lake Charles, LA area earn a median of $72,920 a year, or $35.06 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $88,110. Statewide, welders earn a median of $62,250; Lake Charles is 17% above it.

Median yearly pay$72,920

Bottom 10% under$50,190Top 10% over$88,110

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $24.13/hr
Jobs in this area: 970
After cost of living: $84,940
Median hourly pay: $35.06/hr
vs U.S. median: +36%
vs Louisiana median: +17%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 29340, Lake Charles, LA). 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	$50,190–$59,540$24.13–$28.62/hr
Experienced welder	$72,920$35.06/hr
Top earners	$76,680–$88,110$36.87–$42.36/hr

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

How Lake Charles, LA compares

Lake Charles ranks 2nd of 10 Louisiana metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Lake Charles area than nationally: 9.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 3.5 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $88,110, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $50,190: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Louisiana metro areas

Other trades in Lake Charles, LA

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Lake Charles, LA?: Welders in the Lake Charles, LA area earn a median of $72,920 a year, or $35.06 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $88,110.
How much do welders make an hour in Lake Charles, LA?: The median hourly wage is $35.06. The middle half earn between $28.62 and $36.87 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Lake Charles, LA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.13 an hour ($50,190 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.62.
Do welders make more in Lake Charles or Baton Rouge?: Baton Rouge pays more: the median is $72,920 in Lake Charles and $78,170 in Baton Rouge, a 7% difference.
How does Lake Charles pay compare with the rest of Louisiana?: The Lake Charles median of $72,920 is 17% more than the Louisiana median of $62,250.

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 29340 (Lake Charles, LA). 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 (85.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures