How much do welders make an hour in Bismarck, ND?

The median hourly wage is $29.81. The middle half earn between $29.58 and $30.17 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Bismarck, ND?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.50 an hour ($48,870 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.58.

Do welders make more in Bismarck or Minot?

Pay is about the same: the median is $62,000 in Bismarck and $62,060 in Minot.

How does Bismarck pay compare with the rest of North Dakota?

The Bismarck median of $62,000 is about the same as the North Dakota median of $62,000.

Welder salary in Bismarck, ND

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Bismarck, ND area earn a median of $62,000 a year, or $29.81 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $77,180. Across all of North Dakota, the median is $62,000, so Bismarck pays about the same as the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$62,000

Bottom 10% under$48,870Top 10% over$77,180

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.50/hr
Jobs in this area: 320
After cost of living: $68,110
Median hourly pay: $29.81/hr
vs U.S. median: +15%
vs North Dakota median: 0%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 13900, Bismarck, ND). 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	$48,870–$61,530$23.50–$29.58/hr
Experienced welder	$62,000$29.81/hr
Top earners	$62,750–$77,180$30.17–$37.11/hr

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

How Bismarck, ND compares

Bismarck ranks 2nd of 4 North Dakota metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Bismarck area than nationally: 4.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.7 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $77,180, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,870: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other North Dakota metro areas

Other trades in Bismarck, ND

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Bismarck, ND?: Welders in the Bismarck, ND area earn a median of $62,000 a year, or $29.81 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $77,180.
How much do welders make an hour in Bismarck, ND?: The median hourly wage is $29.81. The middle half earn between $29.58 and $30.17 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Bismarck, ND?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.50 an hour ($48,870 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.58.
Do welders make more in Bismarck or Minot?: Pay is about the same: the median is $62,000 in Bismarck and $62,060 in Minot.
How does Bismarck pay compare with the rest of North Dakota?: The Bismarck median of $62,000 is about the same as the North Dakota median of $62,000.

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 13900 (Bismarck, ND). 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 (91.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures