How much do welders make an hour in Missouri?

The median hourly wage is $24.98. The middle half earn between $22.08 and $29.64 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Missouri?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.36 an hour ($38,200 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.08.

Where in Missouri do welders earn the most?

Among Missouri metro areas, St. Joseph has the highest median at $66,060 a year, and Joplin the lowest at $45,770.

Do welders in Missouri earn more than the national average?

The Missouri median of $51,950 is 3% less than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Missouri run 9% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $57,200 would nationally.

Welder salary in Missouri

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in Missouri earn a median of $51,950 a year, or $24.98 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $78,150. That's 3% less than the national median of $53,750, 32nd of 51 states and DC.

Median yearly pay$51,950

Bottom 10% under$38,200Top 10% over$78,150

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.36/hr
Jobs in Missouri: 10,600
After cost of living: $57,200
Median hourly pay: $24.98/hr
vs U.S. median: −3%
Rank among states: 32nd of 51

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 29). 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	$38,200–$45,930$18.36–$22.08/hr
Experienced welder	$51,950$24.98/hr
Top earners	$61,660–$78,150$29.64–$37.57/hr

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

How Missouri compares

Welders are more concentrated in Missouri than nationally: 3.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.4 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $78,150, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,200: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Pay by metro area

Rural Missouri

Central Missouri nonmetropolitan area$48,250
Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area$47,210
North Missouri nonmetropolitan area$46,690
Southwest Missouri nonmetropolitan area$45,940

Other trades in Missouri

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Missouri?: Welders in Missouri earn a median of $51,950 a year, or $24.98 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $78,150.
How much do welders make an hour in Missouri?: The median hourly wage is $24.98. The middle half earn between $22.08 and $29.64 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Missouri?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.36 an hour ($38,200 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.08.
Where in Missouri do welders earn the most?: Among Missouri metro areas, St. Joseph has the highest median at $66,060 a year, and Joplin the lowest at $45,770.
Do welders in Missouri earn more than the national average?: The Missouri median of $51,950 is 3% less than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Missouri run 9% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $57,200 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 29. 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