How much do welders make an hour in New Orleans, LA?

The median hourly wage is $30.42. The middle half earn between $26.67 and $37.67 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in New Orleans, LA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.89 an hour ($45,520 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $26.67.

Do welders make more in New Orleans or Baton Rouge?

Baton Rouge pays more: the median is $63,270 in New Orleans and $78,170 in Baton Rouge, a 19% difference.

How does New Orleans pay compare with the rest of Louisiana?

The New Orleans median of $63,270 is 2% more than the Louisiana median of $62,250.

Welder salary in New Orleans, LA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the New Orleans–Metairie, LA area earn a median of $63,270 a year, or $30.42 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $82,600. That's 2% more than the Louisiana median of $62,250.

Median yearly pay$63,270

Bottom 10% under$45,520Top 10% over$82,600

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.89/hr
Jobs in this area: 2,000
After cost of living: $68,330
Median hourly pay: $30.42/hr
vs U.S. median: +18%
vs Louisiana median: +2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 35380, New Orleans-Metairie, 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	$45,520–$55,470$21.89–$26.67/hr
Experienced welder	$63,270$30.42/hr
Top earners	$78,340–$82,600$37.67–$39.71/hr

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

How New Orleans, LA compares

New Orleans ranks 5th of 10 Louisiana metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the New Orleans area than nationally: 4.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.7 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $82,600, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $45,520: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Louisiana metro areas

Other trades in New Orleans, LA

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in New Orleans, LA?: Welders in the New Orleans–Metairie, LA area earn a median of $63,270 a year, or $30.42 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $82,600.
How much do welders make an hour in New Orleans, LA?: The median hourly wage is $30.42. The middle half earn between $26.67 and $37.67 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in New Orleans, LA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.89 an hour ($45,520 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $26.67.
Do welders make more in New Orleans or Baton Rouge?: Baton Rouge pays more: the median is $63,270 in New Orleans and $78,170 in Baton Rouge, a 19% difference.
How does New Orleans pay compare with the rest of Louisiana?: The New Orleans median of $63,270 is 2% 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 35380 (New Orleans-Metairie, 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 (92.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures