How much do welders make an hour in Montana?

The median hourly wage is $26.73. The middle half earn between $22.88 and $30.54 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Montana?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.02 an hour ($43,720 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.88.

Where in Montana do welders earn the most?

Among Montana metro areas, Bozeman has the highest median at $59,140 a year, and Missoula the lowest at $47,720.

Do welders in Montana earn more than the national average?

The Montana median of $55,610 is 3% more than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Montana run 5% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $58,760 would nationally.

Welder salary in Montana

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in Montana earn a median of $55,610 a year, or $26.73 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $81,470 a year. Montana ranks 26th of 51 states and DC for welder pay, at 3% more than the U.S. median of $53,750.

Median yearly pay$55,610

Bottom 10% under$43,720Top 10% over$81,470

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.02/hr
Jobs in Montana: 1,530
After cost of living: $58,760
Median hourly pay: $26.73/hr
vs U.S. median: +3%
Rank among states: 26th of 51

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 30). 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	$43,720–$47,590$21.02–$22.88/hr
Experienced welder	$55,610$26.73/hr
Top earners	$63,520–$81,470$30.54–$39.17/hr

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

How Montana compares

Welders are more concentrated in Montana than nationally: 3.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.1 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $81,470, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $43,720: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Pay by metro area

Rural Montana

East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area$60,230
West Montana nonmetropolitan area$54,430
Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area$48,700

Other trades in Montana

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Montana?: Welders in Montana earn a median of $55,610 a year, or $26.73 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $81,470 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Montana?: The median hourly wage is $26.73. The middle half earn between $22.88 and $30.54 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Montana?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.02 an hour ($43,720 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.88.
Where in Montana do welders earn the most?: Among Montana metro areas, Bozeman has the highest median at $59,140 a year, and Missoula the lowest at $47,720.
Do welders in Montana earn more than the national average?: The Montana median of $55,610 is 3% more than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Montana run 5% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $58,760 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 30. 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 (94.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures