TradeSalary

Welder salary in Muskegon, MI

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Muskegon–Norton Shores, MI area earn a median of $47,850 a year, or $23.01 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $59,890. Statewide, welders earn a median of $49,990; Muskegon is 4% below it.

Median yearly pay$47,850
Bottom 10% under$40,940Top 10% over$59,890
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$19.68/hr
Jobs in this area
390
After cost of living
$51,720
Median hourly pay
$23.01/hr
vs U.S. median
−11%
vs Michigan median
−4%
Mean (average) pay
$51,470 a year · $24.75 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 34740, Muskegon-Norton Shores, 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.

Pay by percentile

What welders in Muskegon, MI earn at each point of the pay range, May 2025: 10% earn less than the 10th percentile, half earn less than the median, and 10% earn more than the 90th.

PercentileHourlyYearly
10th percentile$19.68$40,940
25th percentile$21.98$45,730
Median (50th)$23.01$47,850
75th percentile$28.63$59,540
90th percentile$28.79$59,890

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.

How Muskegon, MI compares

  • Muskegon ranks 14th of 16 Michigan metro areas for welder pay.
  • Welders are more concentrated in the Muskegon area than nationally: 6.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.3 times the U.S. share.

Other Michigan metro areas

Other trades in Muskegon, MI

Questions

Do welders make more in Muskegon or Detroit?
Detroit pays more: the median is $47,850 in Muskegon and $51,810 in Detroit, a 8% difference.

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 34740 (Muskegon-Norton Shores, 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 (92.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures