How much do welders make an hour in Albuquerque, NM?

The median hourly wage is $24.03. The middle half earn between $21.02 and $34.17 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Albuquerque, NM?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.81 an hour ($37,040 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.02.

Do welders make more in Albuquerque or Farmington?

Farmington pays more: the median is $49,980 in Albuquerque and $57,440 in Farmington, a 13% difference.

How does Albuquerque pay compare with the rest of New Mexico?

The Albuquerque median of $49,980 is 16% less than the New Mexico median of $59,840.

Welder salary in Albuquerque, NM

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Albuquerque, NM area earn a median of $49,980 a year, or $24.03 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $79,060 a year. Statewide, welders earn a median of $59,840; Albuquerque is 16% below it.

Median yearly pay$49,980

Bottom 10% under$37,040Top 10% over$79,060

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $17.81/hr
Jobs in this area: 510
After cost of living: $52,310
Median hourly pay: $24.03/hr
vs U.S. median: −7%
vs New Mexico median: −16%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 10740, Albuquerque, NM). 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	$37,040–$43,720$17.81–$21.02/hr
Experienced welder	$49,980$24.03/hr
Top earners	$71,080–$79,060$34.17–$38.01/hr

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

How Albuquerque, NM compares

Albuquerque ranks 3rd of 4 New Mexico metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are less concentrated in the Albuquerque area than nationally: 1.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.47 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $79,060, is 2.1 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,040: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other New Mexico metro areas

Other trades in Albuquerque, NM

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Albuquerque, NM?: Welders in the Albuquerque, NM area earn a median of $49,980 a year, or $24.03 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $79,060 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Albuquerque, NM?: The median hourly wage is $24.03. The middle half earn between $21.02 and $34.17 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Albuquerque, NM?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.81 an hour ($37,040 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.02.
Do welders make more in Albuquerque or Farmington?: Farmington pays more: the median is $49,980 in Albuquerque and $57,440 in Farmington, a 13% difference.
How does Albuquerque pay compare with the rest of New Mexico?: The Albuquerque median of $49,980 is 16% less than the New Mexico median of $59,840.

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 10740 (Albuquerque, NM). 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 (95.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures