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

The median hourly wage is $22.87. The middle half earn between $22.18 and $26.97 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Kalamazoo, MI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.71 an hour ($41,000 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.18.

Do welders make more in Kalamazoo or Detroit?

Detroit pays more: the median is $47,560 in Kalamazoo and $51,810 in Detroit, a 8% difference.

How does Kalamazoo pay compare with the rest of Michigan?

The Kalamazoo median of $47,560 is 5% less than the Michigan median of $49,990.

Welder salary in Kalamazoo, MI

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Kalamazoo–Portage, MI area earn a median of $47,560 a year, or $22.87 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $62,560 a year. That's 5% less than the Michigan median of $49,990.

Median yearly pay$47,560

Bottom 10% under$41,000Top 10% over$62,560

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $19.71/hr
Jobs in this area: 250
After cost of living: $50,150
Median hourly pay: $22.87/hr
vs U.S. median: −12%
vs Michigan median: −5%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 28020, Kalamazoo-Portage, 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	$41,000–$46,130$19.71–$22.18/hr
Experienced welder	$47,560$22.87/hr
Top earners	$56,090–$62,560$26.97–$30.08/hr

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

How Kalamazoo, MI compares

Kalamazoo has the lowest welder median of the 16 Michigan metro areas with published pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Kalamazoo area than nationally: 2.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.77 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $62,560, is 1.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $41,000: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Michigan metro areas

Other trades in Kalamazoo, MI

Electrician HVAC technician Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Kalamazoo, MI?: Welders in the Kalamazoo–Portage, MI area earn a median of $47,560 a year, or $22.87 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $62,560 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Kalamazoo, MI?: The median hourly wage is $22.87. The middle half earn between $22.18 and $26.97 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Kalamazoo, MI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.71 an hour ($41,000 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.18.
Do welders make more in Kalamazoo or Detroit?: Detroit pays more: the median is $47,560 in Kalamazoo and $51,810 in Detroit, a 8% difference.
How does Kalamazoo pay compare with the rest of Michigan?: The Kalamazoo median of $47,560 is 5% less 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 28020 (Kalamazoo-Portage, 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 (94.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures