How much do welders make an hour in Bay City, MI?

The median hourly wage is $27.77. The middle half earn between $22.55 and $39.62 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Bay City, MI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.16 an hour ($39,840 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.55.

Do welders make more in Bay City or Detroit?

Bay City pays more: the median is $57,760 in Bay City and $51,810 in Detroit, a 11% difference.

How does Bay City pay compare with the rest of Michigan?

The Bay City median of $57,760 is 16% more than the Michigan median of $49,990.

Welder salary in Bay City, MI

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Bay City, MI area earn a median of $57,760 a year, or $27.77 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $85,430. That's 16% more than the Michigan median of $49,990.

Median yearly pay$57,760

Bottom 10% under$39,840Top 10% over$85,430

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $19.16/hr
Jobs in this area: 130
After cost of living: $62,840
Median hourly pay: $27.77/hr
vs U.S. median: +7%
vs Michigan median: +16%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 13020, Bay City, 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	$39,840–$46,910$19.16–$22.55/hr
Experienced welder	$57,760$27.77/hr
Top earners	$82,410–$85,430$39.62–$41.07/hr

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

How Bay City, MI compares

Bay City has the highest welder median of the 16 Michigan metro areas with published pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Bay City area than nationally: 3.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.5 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $85,430, is 2.1 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,840: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Michigan metro areas

Other trades in Bay City, MI

Electrician HVAC technician Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Bay City, MI?: Welders in the Bay City, MI area earn a median of $57,760 a year, or $27.77 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $85,430.
How much do welders make an hour in Bay City, MI?: The median hourly wage is $27.77. The middle half earn between $22.55 and $39.62 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Bay City, MI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.16 an hour ($39,840 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.55.
Do welders make more in Bay City or Detroit?: Bay City pays more: the median is $57,760 in Bay City and $51,810 in Detroit, a 11% difference.
How does Bay City pay compare with the rest of Michigan?: The Bay City median of $57,760 is 16% 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 13020 (Bay City, 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 (91.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures