How much do welders make an hour in Eau Claire, WI?

The median hourly wage is $27.94. The middle half earn between $23.78 and $29.10 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Eau Claire, WI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.33 an hour ($46,440 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.78.

Do welders make more in Eau Claire or Minneapolis?

Minneapolis pays more: the median is $58,110 in Eau Claire and $61,880 in Minneapolis, a 6% difference.

How does Eau Claire pay compare with the rest of Wisconsin?

The Eau Claire median of $58,110 is 1% less than the Wisconsin median of $58,410.

Welder salary in Eau Claire, WI

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Eau Claire, WI area earn a median of $58,110 a year, or $27.94 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $67,820. That's 1% less than the Wisconsin median of $58,410.

Median yearly pay$58,110

Bottom 10% under$46,440Top 10% over$67,820

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.33/hr
Jobs in this area: 350
After cost of living: $62,620
Median hourly pay: $27.94/hr
vs U.S. median: +8%
vs Wisconsin median: −1%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 20740, Eau Claire, WI). 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	$46,440–$49,460$22.33–$23.78/hr
Experienced welder	$58,110$27.94/hr
Top earners	$60,530–$67,820$29.10–$32.60/hr

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

How Eau Claire, WI compares

Eau Claire ranks 12th of 15 Wisconsin metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Eau Claire area than nationally: 4.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.5 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $67,820, is 1.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,440: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Wisconsin metro areas

Other trades in Eau Claire, WI

Electrician HVAC technician Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Eau Claire, WI?: Welders in the Eau Claire, WI area earn a median of $58,110 a year, or $27.94 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $67,820.
How much do welders make an hour in Eau Claire, WI?: The median hourly wage is $27.94. The middle half earn between $23.78 and $29.10 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Eau Claire, WI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.33 an hour ($46,440 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.78.
Do welders make more in Eau Claire or Minneapolis?: Minneapolis pays more: the median is $58,110 in Eau Claire and $61,880 in Minneapolis, a 6% difference.
How does Eau Claire pay compare with the rest of Wisconsin?: The Eau Claire median of $58,110 is 1% less than the Wisconsin median of $58,410.

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 20740 (Eau Claire, WI). 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 (92.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures