How much do welders make an hour in Minnesota?

The median hourly wage is $28.98. The middle half earn between $24.50 and $31.45 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Minnesota?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.97 an hour ($45,690 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.50.

Where in Minnesota do welders earn the most?

Among Minnesota metro areas, St. Cloud has the highest median at $62,820 a year, and Mankato the lowest at $52,940.

Do welders in Minnesota earn more than the national average?

The Minnesota median of $60,280 is 12% more than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Minnesota run 1% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $61,120 would nationally.

Welder salary in Minnesota

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in Minnesota earn a median of $60,280 a year, or $28.98 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $75,710. That's 12% more than the national median of $53,750, 14th of 51 states and DC.

Median yearly pay$60,280

Bottom 10% under$45,690Top 10% over$75,710

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.97/hr
Jobs in Minnesota: 9,270
After cost of living: $61,120
Median hourly pay: $28.98/hr
vs U.S. median: +12%
Rank among states: 14th of 51

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 27). 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	$45,690–$50,960$21.97–$24.50/hr
Experienced welder	$60,280$28.98/hr
Top earners	$65,410–$75,710$31.45–$36.40/hr

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

How Minnesota compares

Welders are more concentrated in Minnesota than nationally: 3.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.2 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $75,710, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $45,690: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Pay by metro area

See all Minnesota metro areas

Mankato$52,940

Rural Minnesota

Northeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area$61,670
Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area$60,370
Southeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area$58,140
Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area$53,880

Other trades in Minnesota

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Minnesota?: Welders in Minnesota earn a median of $60,280 a year, or $28.98 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $75,710.
How much do welders make an hour in Minnesota?: The median hourly wage is $28.98. The middle half earn between $24.50 and $31.45 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Minnesota?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.97 an hour ($45,690 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.50.
Where in Minnesota do welders earn the most?: Among Minnesota metro areas, St. Cloud has the highest median at $62,820 a year, and Mankato the lowest at $52,940.
Do welders in Minnesota earn more than the national average?: The Minnesota median of $60,280 is 12% more than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Minnesota run 1% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $61,120 would nationally.

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 27. 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 (98.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures