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

The median hourly wage is $26.82. The middle half earn between $24.17 and $28.20 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Wausau, WI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.14 an hour ($48,130 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.17.

Do welders make more in Wausau or Minneapolis?

Minneapolis pays more: the median is $55,780 in Wausau and $61,880 in Minneapolis, a 10% difference.

How does Wausau pay compare with the rest of Wisconsin?

The Wausau median of $55,780 is 5% less than the Wisconsin median of $58,410.

Welder salary in Wausau, WI

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Wausau, WI area earn a median of $55,780 a year, or $26.82 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $64,840 a year. Across all of Wisconsin, the median is $58,410, so Wausau pays 5% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$55,780

Bottom 10% under$48,130Top 10% over$64,840

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $23.14/hr
Jobs in this area: 930
After cost of living: $60,200
Median hourly pay: $26.82/hr
vs U.S. median: +4%
vs Wisconsin median: −5%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 48140, Wausau, 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	$48,130–$50,270$23.14–$24.17/hr
Experienced welder	$55,780$26.82/hr
Top earners	$58,650–$64,840$28.20–$31.17/hr

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

How Wausau, WI compares

Wausau has the lowest welder median of the 15 Wisconsin metro areas with published pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Wausau area than nationally: 13.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 5.0 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $64,840, is 1.3 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,130: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Wisconsin metro areas

Other trades in Wausau, WI

Electrician HVAC technician Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Wausau, WI?: Welders in the Wausau, WI area earn a median of $55,780 a year, or $26.82 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $64,840 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Wausau, WI?: The median hourly wage is $26.82. The middle half earn between $24.17 and $28.20 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Wausau, WI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.14 an hour ($48,130 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.17.
Do welders make more in Wausau or Minneapolis?: Minneapolis pays more: the median is $55,780 in Wausau and $61,880 in Minneapolis, a 10% difference.
How does Wausau pay compare with the rest of Wisconsin?: The Wausau median of $55,780 is 5% 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 48140 (Wausau, 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 (92.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures