Do welders make more in Racine or Minneapolis?

Minneapolis pays more: the median is $59,200 in Racine and $61,880 in Minneapolis, a 4% difference.

Welder salary in Racine, WI

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Racine–Mount Pleasant, WI area earn a median of $59,200 a year, or $28.46 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $68,130. Statewide, welders earn a median of $58,410; Racine is 1% above it.

Median yearly pay$59,200

Bottom 10% under$46,230Top 10% over$68,130

Entry-level starting pay (estimate): $22.23/hr
Jobs in this area: 370
After cost of living: $61,690
Median hourly pay: $28.46/hr
vs U.S. median: +10%
vs Wisconsin median: +1%
Mean (average) pay: $58,040 a year · $27.91 an hour

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 39540, Racine-Mount Pleasant, 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 Racine, 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	$22.23	$46,230
25th percentile	$24.19	$50,320
Median (50th)	$28.46	$59,200
75th percentile	$29.98	$62,350
90th percentile	$32.75	$68,130

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

How Racine, WI compares

Racine ranks 8th of 15 Wisconsin metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Racine area than nationally: 4.8 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.8 times the U.S. share.

Other Wisconsin metro areas

Other trades in Racine, WI

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

Questions

Do welders make more in Racine or Minneapolis?: Minneapolis pays more: the median is $59,200 in Racine 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 39540 (Racine-Mount Pleasant, 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 (96.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures