How much do welders make an hour in Nebraska?

The median hourly wage is $25.10. The middle half earn between $23.00 and $29.72 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Nebraska?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.08 an hour ($43,850 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.00.

Where in Nebraska do welders earn the most?

Among Nebraska metro areas, Sioux City has the highest median at $58,230 a year, and Grand Island the lowest at $48,940.

Do welders in Nebraska earn more than the national average?

The Nebraska median of $52,220 is 3% less than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Nebraska run 10% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $57,960 would nationally.

Welder salary in Nebraska

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in Nebraska earn a median of $52,220 a year, or $25.10 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $66,900 a year. That's 3% less than the national median of $53,750, 31st of 51 states and DC.

Median yearly pay$52,220

Bottom 10% under$43,850Top 10% over$66,900

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.08/hr
Jobs in Nebraska: 4,200
After cost of living: $57,960
Median hourly pay: $25.10/hr
vs U.S. median: −3%
Rank among states: 31st of 51

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 31). 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	$43,850–$47,830$21.08–$23.00/hr
Experienced welder	$52,220$25.10/hr
Top earners	$61,810–$66,900$29.72–$32.16/hr

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

How Nebraska compares

Welders are more concentrated in Nebraska than nationally: 4.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.5 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $66,900, is 1.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $43,850: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Pay by metro area

Rural Nebraska

South Nebraska nonmetropolitan area$53,290
Northeast Nebraska nonmetropolitan area$50,260
Northwest Nebraska nonmetropolitan area$47,350

Other trades in Nebraska

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Nebraska?: Welders in Nebraska earn a median of $52,220 a year, or $25.10 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $66,900 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Nebraska?: The median hourly wage is $25.10. The middle half earn between $23.00 and $29.72 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Nebraska?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.08 an hour ($43,850 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.00.
Where in Nebraska do welders earn the most?: Among Nebraska metro areas, Sioux City has the highest median at $58,230 a year, and Grand Island the lowest at $48,940.
Do welders in Nebraska earn more than the national average?: The Nebraska median of $52,220 is 3% less than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Nebraska run 10% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $57,960 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 31. 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 (90.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures