How much do welders make an hour in Wisconsin?

The median hourly wage is $28.08. The middle half earn between $24.19 and $29.92 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Wisconsin?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.62 an hour ($47,060 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.19.

Where in Wisconsin do welders earn the most?

Among Wisconsin metro areas, Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington has the highest median at $61,880 a year, and Wausau the lowest at $55,780.

Do welders in Wisconsin earn more than the national average?

The Wisconsin median of $58,410 is 9% more than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Wisconsin run 6% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $62,080 would nationally.

Welder salary in Wisconsin

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in Wisconsin earn a median of $58,410 a year, or $28.08 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $70,720. Wisconsin ranks 22nd of 51 states and DC for welder pay, at 9% more than the U.S. median of $53,750.

Median yearly pay$58,410

Bottom 10% under$47,060Top 10% over$70,720

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.62/hr
Jobs in Wisconsin: 15,320
After cost of living: $62,080
Median hourly pay: $28.08/hr
vs U.S. median: +9%
Rank among states: 22nd of 51

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 55). 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	$47,060–$50,320$22.62–$24.19/hr
Experienced welder	$58,410$28.08/hr
Top earners	$62,220–$70,720$29.92–$34.00/hr

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

How Wisconsin compares

Welders are more concentrated in Wisconsin than nationally: 5.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.9 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $70,720, is 1.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,060: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Pay by metro area

See all Wisconsin metro areas

Rural Wisconsin

Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area$57,120
Western Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area$56,870
Northwestern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area$56,230
South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area$55,540

Other trades in Wisconsin

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Wisconsin?: Welders in Wisconsin earn a median of $58,410 a year, or $28.08 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $70,720.
How much do welders make an hour in Wisconsin?: The median hourly wage is $28.08. The middle half earn between $24.19 and $29.92 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Wisconsin?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.62 an hour ($47,060 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.19.
Where in Wisconsin do welders earn the most?: Among Wisconsin metro areas, Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington has the highest median at $61,880 a year, and Wausau the lowest at $55,780.
Do welders in Wisconsin earn more than the national average?: The Wisconsin median of $58,410 is 9% more than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Wisconsin run 6% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $62,080 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 55. 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 (94.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures