How much do welders make an hour in Michigan?

The median hourly wage is $24.03. The middle half earn between $22.36 and $28.46 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Michigan?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.80 an hour ($39,090 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.36.

Where in Michigan do welders earn the most?

Among Michigan metro areas, Bay City has the highest median at $57,760 a year, and Kalamazoo–Portage the lowest at $47,560.

Do welders in Michigan earn more than the national average?

The Michigan median of $49,990 is 7% less than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Michigan run 4% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $51,960 would nationally.

Welder salary in Michigan

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in Michigan earn a median of $49,990 a year, or $24.03 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $70,200 a year. Nationally the median is $53,750, so Michigan pays 7% less than the U.S. overall and ranks 41st of 51.

Median yearly pay$49,990

Bottom 10% under$39,090Top 10% over$70,200

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.80/hr
Jobs in Michigan: 13,330
After cost of living: $51,960
Median hourly pay: $24.03/hr
vs U.S. median: −7%
Rank among states: 41st of 51

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 26). 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	$39,090–$46,520$18.80–$22.36/hr
Experienced welder	$49,990$24.03/hr
Top earners	$59,190–$70,200$28.46–$33.75/hr

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

How Michigan compares

Welders are more concentrated in Michigan than nationally: 3.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.1 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $70,200, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,090: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Pay by metro area

See all Michigan metro areas

Rural Michigan

Upper Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area$49,380
Southern Michigan nonmetropolitan area$48,590
Northern Michigan nonmetropolitan area$48,580
Mid Michigan nonmetropolitan area$48,060

Other trades in Michigan

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Michigan?: Welders in Michigan earn a median of $49,990 a year, or $24.03 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $70,200 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Michigan?: The median hourly wage is $24.03. The middle half earn between $22.36 and $28.46 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Michigan?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.80 an hour ($39,090 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.36.
Where in Michigan do welders earn the most?: Among Michigan metro areas, Bay City has the highest median at $57,760 a year, and Kalamazoo–Portage the lowest at $47,560.
Do welders in Michigan earn more than the national average?: The Michigan median of $49,990 is 7% less than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Michigan run 4% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $51,960 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 26. 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 (96.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures