How much do welders make an hour in Ann Arbor, MI?

The median hourly wage is $26.05. The middle half earn between $23.18 and $30.80 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Ann Arbor, MI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.33 an hour ($40,200 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.18.

Do welders make more in Ann Arbor or Detroit?

Ann Arbor pays more: the median is $54,180 in Ann Arbor and $51,810 in Detroit, a 5% difference.

How does Ann Arbor pay compare with the rest of Michigan?

The Ann Arbor median of $54,180 is 8% more than the Michigan median of $49,990.

Welder salary in Ann Arbor, MI

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Ann Arbor, MI area earn a median of $54,180 a year, or $26.05 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $77,310. Across all of Michigan, the median is $49,990, so Ann Arbor pays 8% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$54,180

Bottom 10% under$40,200Top 10% over$77,310

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $19.33/hr
Jobs in this area: 220
After cost of living: $53,710
Median hourly pay: $26.05/hr
vs U.S. median: +1%
vs Michigan median: +8%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 11460, Ann Arbor, MI). 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	$40,200–$48,210$19.33–$23.18/hr
Experienced welder	$54,180$26.05/hr
Top earners	$64,060–$77,310$30.80–$37.17/hr

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

How Ann Arbor, MI compares

Ann Arbor ranks 2nd of 16 Michigan metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Ann Arbor area than nationally: 1.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.37 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $77,310, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $40,200: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Michigan metro areas

Other trades in Ann Arbor, MI

Electrician HVAC technician Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Ann Arbor, MI?: Welders in the Ann Arbor, MI area earn a median of $54,180 a year, or $26.05 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $77,310.
How much do welders make an hour in Ann Arbor, MI?: The median hourly wage is $26.05. The middle half earn between $23.18 and $30.80 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Ann Arbor, MI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.33 an hour ($40,200 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.18.
Do welders make more in Ann Arbor or Detroit?: Ann Arbor pays more: the median is $54,180 in Ann Arbor and $51,810 in Detroit, a 5% difference.
How does Ann Arbor pay compare with the rest of Michigan?: The Ann Arbor median of $54,180 is 8% more than the Michigan median of $49,990.

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 11460 (Ann Arbor, MI). 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 (100.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures