Welder salary in Kansas City, MO-KS
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Welders in the Kansas City, MO-KS area earn a median of $57,370 a year, or $27.58 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $78,150. That's 10% more than the Missouri median of $51,950.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $20.60/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 2,710
- After cost of living
- $61,990
- Median hourly pay
- $27.58/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +7%
- vs Missouri median
- +10%
Entry-level to top welder pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Entry level | $42,850–$48,240$20.60–$23.19/hr | |
| Experienced welder | $57,370$27.58/hr | |
| Top earners | $71,380–$78,150$34.32–$37.57/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Kansas City, MO-KS compares
- Kansas City ranks 2nd of 8 Missouri metro areas for welder pay.
- Welders hold about the same share of jobs in the Kansas City area as nationally: 2.5 of every 1,000 jobs.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $78,150, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $42,850: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Missouri metro areas
Other trades in Kansas City, MO-KS
Questions
- How much do welders make in Kansas City, MO-KS?
- Welders in the Kansas City, MO-KS area earn a median of $57,370 a year, or $27.58 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $78,150.
- How much do welders make an hour in Kansas City, MO-KS?
- The median hourly wage is $27.58. The middle half earn between $23.19 and $34.32 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice welders make in Kansas City, MO-KS?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.60 an hour ($42,850 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.19.
- Do welders make more in Kansas City or St. Joseph?
- St. Joseph pays more: the median is $57,370 in Kansas City and $66,060 in St. Joseph, a 13% difference.
- How does Kansas City pay compare with the rest of Missouri?
- The Kansas City median of $57,370 is 10% more 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 28140 (Kansas City, MO-KS). 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 (92.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures