How much do welders make an hour in Shreveport, LA?

The median hourly wage is $30.58. The middle half earn between $24.32 and $36.42 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Shreveport, LA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.06 an hour ($41,720 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.32.

Do welders make more in Shreveport or Baton Rouge?

Baton Rouge pays more: the median is $63,610 in Shreveport and $78,170 in Baton Rouge, a 19% difference.

How does Shreveport pay compare with the rest of Louisiana?

The Shreveport median of $63,610 is 2% more than the Louisiana median of $62,250.

Welder salary in Shreveport, LA

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Shreveport–Bossier City, LA area earn a median of $63,610 a year, or $30.58 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $79,090. Across all of Louisiana, the median is $62,250, so Shreveport pays 2% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$63,610

Bottom 10% under$41,720Top 10% over$79,090

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $20.06/hr
Jobs in this area: 910
After cost of living: $75,040
Median hourly pay: $30.58/hr
vs U.S. median: +18%
vs Louisiana median: +2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 43340, Shreveport-Bossier City, 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	$41,720–$50,590$20.06–$24.32/hr
Experienced welder	$63,610$30.58/hr
Top earners	$75,750–$79,090$36.42–$38.03/hr

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

How Shreveport, LA compares

Shreveport ranks 4th of 10 Louisiana metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Shreveport area than nationally: 5.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.1 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $79,090, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $41,720: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Louisiana metro areas

Other trades in Shreveport, LA

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Shreveport, LA?: Welders in the Shreveport–Bossier City, LA area earn a median of $63,610 a year, or $30.58 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $79,090.
How much do welders make an hour in Shreveport, LA?: The median hourly wage is $30.58. The middle half earn between $24.32 and $36.42 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Shreveport, LA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.06 an hour ($41,720 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.32.
Do welders make more in Shreveport or Baton Rouge?: Baton Rouge pays more: the median is $63,610 in Shreveport and $78,170 in Baton Rouge, a 19% difference.
How does Shreveport pay compare with the rest of Louisiana?: The Shreveport median of $63,610 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 43340 (Shreveport-Bossier City, 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 (84.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures