How much do welders make an hour in Sioux Falls, SD-MN?

The median hourly wage is $26.54. The middle half earn between $22.85 and $30.00 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Sioux Falls, SD-MN?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.30 an hour ($40,140 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.85.

Do welders make more in Sioux Falls or Sioux City?

Sioux City pays more: the median is $55,200 in Sioux Falls and $58,230 in Sioux City, a 5% difference.

How does Sioux Falls pay compare with the rest of South Dakota?

The Sioux Falls median of $55,200 is 12% more than the South Dakota median of $49,440.

Welder salary in Sioux Falls, SD-MN

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Sioux Falls, SD-MN area earn a median of $55,200 a year, or $26.54 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $80,120. That's 12% more than the South Dakota median of $49,440.

Median yearly pay$55,200

Bottom 10% under$40,140Top 10% over$80,120

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $19.30/hr
Jobs in this area: 850
After cost of living: $60,910
Median hourly pay: $26.54/hr
vs U.S. median: +3%
vs South Dakota median: +12%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 43620, Sioux Falls, SD-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	$40,140–$47,520$19.30–$22.85/hr
Experienced welder	$55,200$26.54/hr
Top earners	$62,400–$80,120$30.00–$38.52/hr

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

How Sioux Falls, SD-MN compares

Sioux Falls ranks 2nd of 3 South Dakota metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Sioux Falls area than nationally: 4.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.8 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $80,120, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $40,140: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other South Dakota metro areas

Other trades in Sioux Falls, SD-MN

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Sioux Falls, SD-MN?: Welders in the Sioux Falls, SD-MN area earn a median of $55,200 a year, or $26.54 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $80,120.
How much do welders make an hour in Sioux Falls, SD-MN?: The median hourly wage is $26.54. The middle half earn between $22.85 and $30.00 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Sioux Falls, SD-MN?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.30 an hour ($40,140 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.85.
Do welders make more in Sioux Falls or Sioux City?: Sioux City pays more: the median is $55,200 in Sioux Falls and $58,230 in Sioux City, a 5% difference.
How does Sioux Falls pay compare with the rest of South Dakota?: The Sioux Falls median of $55,200 is 12% more than the South Dakota median of $49,440.

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 43620 (Sioux Falls, SD-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 (90.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures