How much do welders make an hour in Detroit, MI?

The median hourly wage is $24.91. The middle half earn between $22.91 and $29.33 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Detroit, MI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.75 an hour ($39,000 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.91.

Do welders make more in Detroit or Lansing?

Detroit pays more: the median is $51,810 in Detroit and $50,370 in Lansing, a 3% difference.

How does Detroit pay compare with the rest of Michigan?

The Detroit median of $51,810 is 4% more than the Michigan median of $49,990.

Welder salary in Detroit, MI

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Detroit–Warren–Dearborn, MI area earn a median of $51,810 a year, or $24.91 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $75,760. That's 4% more than the Michigan median of $49,990.

Median yearly pay$51,810

Bottom 10% under$39,000Top 10% over$75,760

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.75/hr
Jobs in this area: 4,580
After cost of living: $51,660
Median hourly pay: $24.91/hr
vs U.S. median: −4%
vs Michigan median: +4%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 19820, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, 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	$39,000–$47,650$18.75–$22.91/hr
Experienced welder	$51,810$24.91/hr
Top earners	$61,010–$75,760$29.33–$36.42/hr

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

How Detroit, MI compares

Detroit ranks 4th of 16 Michigan metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Detroit area than nationally: 2.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.90 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $75,760, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,000: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Michigan metro areas

Other trades in Detroit, MI

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Detroit, MI?: Welders in the Detroit–Warren–Dearborn, MI area earn a median of $51,810 a year, or $24.91 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $75,760.
How much do welders make an hour in Detroit, MI?: The median hourly wage is $24.91. The middle half earn between $22.91 and $29.33 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Detroit, MI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.75 an hour ($39,000 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.91.
Do welders make more in Detroit or Lansing?: Detroit pays more: the median is $51,810 in Detroit and $50,370 in Lansing, a 3% difference.
How does Detroit pay compare with the rest of Michigan?: The Detroit median of $51,810 is 4% 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 19820 (Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, 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 (100.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures