How much do welders make an hour in Madison, WI?

The median hourly wage is $28.62. The middle half earn between $24.44 and $30.22 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Madison, WI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.70 an hour ($45,140 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.44.

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.

How does Madison pay compare with the rest of Wisconsin?

The Madison median of $59,530 is 2% more than the Wisconsin median of $58,410.

Welder salary in Madison, WI

Updated September 26, 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

Apprentice 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%

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.

Entry-level to top welder pay

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Entry level	$45,140–$50,830$21.70–$24.44/hr
Experienced welder	$59,530$28.62/hr
Top earners	$62,860–$71,270$30.22–$34.27/hr

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

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.
The 90th-percentile wage, $71,270, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $45,140: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Wisconsin metro areas

Other trades in Madison, WI

Electrician HVAC technician Lineman Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Madison, WI?: 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.
How much do welders make an hour in Madison, WI?: The median hourly wage is $28.62. The middle half earn between $24.44 and $30.22 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Madison, WI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.70 an hour ($45,140 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.44.
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.
How does Madison pay compare with the rest of Wisconsin?: The Madison median of $59,530 is 2% more 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 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 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures