How much do welders make an hour in Minneapolis, MN-WI?

The median hourly wage is $29.75. The middle half earn between $26.45 and $34.68 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Minneapolis, MN-WI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.25 an hour ($48,350 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $26.45.

Do welders make more in Minneapolis or St. Cloud?

St. Cloud pays more: the median is $61,880 in Minneapolis and $62,820 in St. Cloud, a 1% difference.

How does Minneapolis pay compare with the rest of Minnesota?

The Minneapolis median of $61,880 is 3% more than the Minnesota median of $60,280.

Welder salary in Minneapolis, MN-WI

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN-WI area earn a median of $61,880 a year, or $29.75 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $76,650 a year. Across all of Minnesota, the median is $60,280, so Minneapolis pays 3% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$61,880

Bottom 10% under$48,350Top 10% over$76,650

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.25/hr
Jobs in this area: 4,600
After cost of living: $59,030
Median hourly pay: $29.75/hr
vs U.S. median: +15%
vs Minnesota median: +3%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 33460, Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI). 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	$48,350–$55,020$23.25–$26.45/hr
Experienced welder	$61,880$29.75/hr
Top earners	$72,140–$76,650$34.68–$36.85/hr

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

How Minneapolis, MN-WI compares

Minneapolis ranks 2nd of 9 Minnesota metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Minneapolis area than nationally: 2.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.88 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $76,650, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,350: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Minnesota metro areas

Other trades in Minneapolis, MN-WI

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Minneapolis, MN-WI?: Welders in the Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN-WI area earn a median of $61,880 a year, or $29.75 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $76,650 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Minneapolis, MN-WI?: The median hourly wage is $29.75. The middle half earn between $26.45 and $34.68 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Minneapolis, MN-WI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.25 an hour ($48,350 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $26.45.
Do welders make more in Minneapolis or St. Cloud?: St. Cloud pays more: the median is $61,880 in Minneapolis and $62,820 in St. Cloud, a 1% difference.
How does Minneapolis pay compare with the rest of Minnesota?: The Minneapolis median of $61,880 is 3% more than the Minnesota median of $60,280.

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 33460 (Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI). 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 (104.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures