How much do welders make an hour in Grand Forks, ND-MN?

The median hourly wage is $27.98. The middle half earn between $24.64 and $31.38 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Grand Forks, ND-MN?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.99 an hour ($43,660 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.64.

Do welders make more in Grand Forks or Minot?

Minot pays more: the median is $58,200 in Grand Forks and $62,060 in Minot, a 6% difference.

How does Grand Forks pay compare with the rest of North Dakota?

The Grand Forks median of $58,200 is 6% less than the North Dakota median of $62,000.

Welder salary in Grand Forks, ND-MN

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Grand Forks, ND-MN area earn a median of $58,200 a year, or $27.98 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $81,150. Across all of North Dakota, the median is $62,000, so Grand Forks pays 6% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$58,200

Bottom 10% under$43,660Top 10% over$81,150

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $20.99/hr
Jobs in this area: 190
After cost of living: $67,160
Median hourly pay: $27.98/hr
vs U.S. median: +8%
vs North Dakota median: −6%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 24220, Grand Forks, ND-MN). 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	$43,660–$51,240$20.99–$24.64/hr
Experienced welder	$58,200$27.98/hr
Top earners	$65,270–$81,150$31.38–$39.02/hr

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

How Grand Forks, ND-MN compares

Grand Forks has the lowest welder median of the 4 North Dakota metro areas with published pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Grand Forks area than nationally: 3.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.4 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $81,150, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $43,660: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other North Dakota metro areas

Other trades in Grand Forks, ND-MN

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Grand Forks, ND-MN?: Welders in the Grand Forks, ND-MN area earn a median of $58,200 a year, or $27.98 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $81,150.
How much do welders make an hour in Grand Forks, ND-MN?: The median hourly wage is $27.98. The middle half earn between $24.64 and $31.38 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Grand Forks, ND-MN?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.99 an hour ($43,660 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.64.
Do welders make more in Grand Forks or Minot?: Minot pays more: the median is $58,200 in Grand Forks and $62,060 in Minot, a 6% difference.
How does Grand Forks pay compare with the rest of North Dakota?: The Grand Forks median of $58,200 is 6% less than 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 24220 (Grand Forks, ND-MN). 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 (86.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures