How much do welders make an hour in Rochester, MN?

The median hourly wage is $29.03. The middle half earn between $26.41 and $29.19 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Rochester, MN?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.34 an hour ($48,550 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $26.41.

Do welders make more in Rochester or St. Cloud?

St. Cloud pays more: the median is $60,380 in Rochester and $62,820 in St. Cloud, a 4% difference.

How does Rochester pay compare with the rest of Minnesota?

The Rochester median of $60,380 is about the same as the Minnesota median of $60,280.

Welder salary in Rochester, MN

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Rochester, MN area earn a median of $60,380 a year, or $29.03 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $72,350. Statewide, welders earn a median of $60,280; Rochester is right at that level.

Median yearly pay$60,380

Bottom 10% under$48,550Top 10% over$72,350

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.34/hr
Jobs in this area: 510
After cost of living: $66,480
Median hourly pay: $29.03/hr
vs U.S. median: +12%
vs Minnesota median: 0%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 40340, Rochester, MN). 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	$48,550–$54,930$23.34–$26.41/hr
Experienced welder	$60,380$29.03/hr
Top earners	$60,710–$72,350$29.19–$34.78/hr

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

How Rochester, MN compares

Rochester ranks 4th of 9 Minnesota metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Rochester area than nationally: 4.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.6 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $72,350, is 1.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,550: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Minnesota metro areas

Other trades in Rochester, MN

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Rochester, MN?: Welders in the Rochester, MN area earn a median of $60,380 a year, or $29.03 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $72,350.
How much do welders make an hour in Rochester, MN?: The median hourly wage is $29.03. The middle half earn between $26.41 and $29.19 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Rochester, MN?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.34 an hour ($48,550 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $26.41.
Do welders make more in Rochester or St. Cloud?: St. Cloud pays more: the median is $60,380 in Rochester and $62,820 in St. Cloud, a 4% difference.
How does Rochester pay compare with the rest of Minnesota?: The Rochester median of $60,380 is about the same as 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 40340 (Rochester, MN). 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 (90.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures