How much do welders make an hour in Jefferson City, MO?

The median hourly wage is $24.80. The middle half earn between $22.95 and $28.40 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Jefferson City, MO?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.45 an hour ($38,370 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.95.

Do welders make more in Jefferson City or St. Joseph?

St. Joseph pays more: the median is $51,580 in Jefferson City and $66,060 in St. Joseph, a 22% difference.

How does Jefferson City pay compare with the rest of Missouri?

The Jefferson City median of $51,580 is 1% less than the Missouri median of $51,950.

Welder salary in Jefferson City, MO

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Jefferson City, MO area earn a median of $51,580 a year, or $24.80 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $59,070 a year. Statewide, welders earn a median of $51,950; Jefferson City is 1% below it.

Median yearly pay$51,580

Bottom 10% under$38,370Top 10% over$59,070

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.45/hr
Jobs in this area: 360
After cost of living: $58,630
Median hourly pay: $24.80/hr
vs U.S. median: −4%
vs Missouri median: −1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 27620, Jefferson City, MO). 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	$38,370–$47,730$18.45–$22.95/hr
Experienced welder	$51,580$24.80/hr
Top earners	$59,070–$59,070$28.40–$28.40/hr

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

How Jefferson City, MO compares

Jefferson City ranks 6th of 8 Missouri metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Jefferson City area than nationally: 4.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.6 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $59,070, is 1.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,370: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Missouri metro areas

Other trades in Jefferson City, MO

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Jefferson City, MO?: Welders in the Jefferson City, MO area earn a median of $51,580 a year, or $24.80 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $59,070 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Jefferson City, MO?: The median hourly wage is $24.80. The middle half earn between $22.95 and $28.40 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Jefferson City, MO?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.45 an hour ($38,370 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.95.
Do welders make more in Jefferson City or St. Joseph?: St. Joseph pays more: the median is $51,580 in Jefferson City and $66,060 in St. Joseph, a 22% difference.
How does Jefferson City pay compare with the rest of Missouri?: The Jefferson City median of $51,580 is 1% less than the Missouri median of $51,950.

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 27620 (Jefferson City, MO). 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 (88.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures