How much do welders make an hour in Billings, MT?

The median hourly wage is $25.32. The middle half earn between $22.73 and $30.25 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Billings, MT?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.11 an hour ($46,000 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.73.

Do welders make more in Billings or Bozeman?

Bozeman pays more: the median is $52,670 in Billings and $59,140 in Bozeman, a 11% difference.

How does Billings pay compare with the rest of Montana?

The Billings median of $52,670 is 5% less than the Montana median of $55,610.

Welder salary in Billings, MT

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Billings, MT area earn a median of $52,670 a year, or $25.32 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $81,700 a year. Across all of Montana, the median is $55,610, so Billings pays 5% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$52,670

Bottom 10% under$46,000Top 10% over$81,700

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.11/hr
Jobs in this area: 430
After cost of living: $56,320
Median hourly pay: $25.32/hr
vs U.S. median: −2%
vs Montana median: −5%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 13740, Billings, MT). 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	$46,000–$47,280$22.11–$22.73/hr
Experienced welder	$52,670$25.32/hr
Top earners	$62,920–$81,700$30.25–$39.28/hr

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

How Billings, MT compares

Billings ranks 3rd of 4 Montana metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Billings area than nationally: 4.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.7 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $81,700, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,000: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Montana metro areas

Other trades in Billings, MT

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Billings, MT?: Welders in the Billings, MT area earn a median of $52,670 a year, or $25.32 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $81,700 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Billings, MT?: The median hourly wage is $25.32. The middle half earn between $22.73 and $30.25 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Billings, MT?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.11 an hour ($46,000 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.73.
Do welders make more in Billings or Bozeman?: Bozeman pays more: the median is $52,670 in Billings and $59,140 in Bozeman, a 11% difference.
How does Billings pay compare with the rest of Montana?: The Billings median of $52,670 is 5% less than the Montana median of $55,610.

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 13740 (Billings, MT). 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 (93.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures