Do welders make more in Madison or Minneapolis?

Minneapolis pays more: the median is $59,530 in Madison and $61,880 in Minneapolis, a 4% difference.

Welder salary in Madison, WI

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Madison, WI area earn a median of $59,530 a year, or $28.62 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $71,270 a year. Statewide, welders earn a median of $58,410; Madison is 2% above it.

Median yearly pay$59,530

Bottom 10% under$45,140Top 10% over$71,270

Entry-level starting pay (estimate): $21.70/hr
Jobs in this area: 1,010
After cost of living: $61,190
Median hourly pay: $28.62/hr
vs U.S. median: +11%
vs Wisconsin median: +2%
Mean (average) pay: $58,900 a year · $28.32 an hour

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 31540, Madison, 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.

Pay by percentile

What welders in Madison, WI earn at each point of the pay range, May 2025: 10% earn less than the 10th percentile, half earn less than the median, and 10% earn more than the 90th.

Percentile	Hourly	Yearly
10th percentile	$21.70	$45,140
25th percentile	$24.44	$50,830
Median (50th)	$28.62	$59,530
75th percentile	$30.22	$62,860
90th percentile	$34.27	$71,270

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.

How Madison, WI compares

Madison ranks 5th of 15 Wisconsin metro areas for welder pay.
Welders hold about the same share of jobs in the Madison area as nationally: 2.5 of every 1,000 jobs.

Other Wisconsin metro areas

Other trades in Madison, WI

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Heavy equipment operator Auto mechanic Roofer Ironworker

Questions

Do welders make more in Madison or Minneapolis?: Minneapolis pays more: the median is $59,530 in Madison and $61,880 in Minneapolis, a 4% difference.

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 31540 (Madison, 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 (97.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures