How much do welders make an hour in St. Joseph, MO-KS?

The median hourly wage is $31.76. The middle half earn between $26.85 and $31.76 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in St. Joseph, MO-KS?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.61 an hour ($47,040 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $26.85.

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

St. Joseph pays more: the median is $66,060 in St. Joseph and $57,370 in Kansas City, a 15% difference.

How does St. Joseph pay compare with the rest of Missouri?

The St. Joseph median of $66,060 is 27% more than the Missouri median of $51,950.

Welder salary in St. Joseph, MO-KS

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the St. Joseph, MO-KS area earn a median of $66,060 a year, or $31.76 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $66,060. That's 27% more than the Missouri median of $51,950.

Median yearly pay$66,060

Bottom 10% under$47,040Top 10% over$66,060

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.61/hr
Jobs in this area: 610
After cost of living: $76,470
Median hourly pay: $31.76/hr
vs U.S. median: +23%
vs Missouri median: +27%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 41140, St. Joseph, MO-KS). 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	$47,040–$55,850$22.61–$26.85/hr
Experienced welder	$66,060$31.76/hr
Top earners	$66,060–$66,060$31.76–$31.76/hr

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

How St. Joseph, MO-KS compares

St. Joseph has the highest welder median of the 8 Missouri metro areas with published pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the St. Joseph area than nationally: 11.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 4.2 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $66,060, is 1.4 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,040: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Missouri metro areas

Other trades in St. Joseph, MO-KS

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in St. Joseph, MO-KS?: Welders in the St. Joseph, MO-KS area earn a median of $66,060 a year, or $31.76 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $66,060.
How much do welders make an hour in St. Joseph, MO-KS?: The median hourly wage is $31.76. The middle half earn between $26.85 and $31.76 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in St. Joseph, MO-KS?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.61 an hour ($47,040 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $26.85.
Do welders make more in St. Joseph or Kansas City?: St. Joseph pays more: the median is $66,060 in St. Joseph and $57,370 in Kansas City, a 15% difference.
How does St. Joseph pay compare with the rest of Missouri?: The St. Joseph median of $66,060 is 27% 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 41140 (St. Joseph, 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 (86.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures