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Welder apprenticeships: what they pay, state by state
U.S. Department of Labor records list 2,071 registered apprentices active across the 50 states and the District of Columbia in fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024) under the occupation titles DOL maps to welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers (SOC 51-4121). The file's fiscal 2024 records largely stop after February 2024. In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023) the median starting wage of registered apprentices ran from $13.00 an hour in Iowa to $22.07 in Mississippi, across the 7 states where 50 or more apprentices carry a starting wage DOL counts.
Apprentice counts and wages by state
The most are in Texas (351), Iowa (189), Virginia (171), Kentucky (143), Mississippi (129). No state has 50 or more completers with an exit wage DOL counts for fiscal 2023, so no completing median is shown. A median is shown only where 50 or more apprentices carry the wage; the counts are shown for every state with an active apprentice in fiscal 2024.
| State | Active, fiscal 2024 | Started, fiscal 2023 | Median starting wage | Median completing wage | BLS median, May 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 351 | 169 | $14.50 | fewer than 50 wages | $25.64 |
| Iowa | 189 | 135 | $13.00 | fewer than 50 wages | $26.49 |
| Virginia | 171 | 77 | $18.00 | fewer than 50 wages | $28.45 |
| Kentucky | 143 | 70 | $21.10 | fewer than 50 wages | $24.74 |
| Mississippi | 129 | 147 | $22.07 | fewer than 50 wages | $24.57 |
| South Carolina | 117 | 36 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $24.03 |
| Pennsylvania | 104 | 56 | $18.00 | fewer than 50 wages | $25.43 |
| Illinois | 97 | 57 | $15.00 | fewer than 50 wages | $24.67 |
| Ohio | 82 | 23 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $24.20 |
| Missouri | 69 | 54 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $24.98 |
| Indiana | 58 | 20 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $23.91 |
| New Hampshire | 56 | 34 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $29.98 |
| Washington | 48 | 16 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $30.30 |
| Michigan | 47 | 21 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $24.03 |
| Idaho | 46 | 21 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $24.30 |
| Alabama | 35 | 35 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $23.31 |
| California | 34 | 12 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $27.91 |
| Louisiana | 33 | 8 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $29.93 |
| Kansas | 26 | 18 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $23.75 |
| Hawaii | 24 | 3 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $37.98 |
| Delaware | 23 | 10 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $27.54 |
| Maine | 23 | 11 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $29.92 |
| Nebraska | 23 | 25 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $25.10 |
| Arkansas | 20 | 23 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $23.06 |
| Utah | 20 | 14 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $28.07 |
| Georgia | 19 | 14 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $23.28 |
| New Jersey | 19 | 10 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $28.58 |
| Oklahoma | 9 | 4 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $23.90 |
| Massachusetts | 8 | 6 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $30.08 |
| Florida | 6 | 7 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $24.35 |
| Tennessee | 6 | 5 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $23.10 |
| Maryland | 5 | 2 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $29.00 |
| South Dakota | 5 | 5 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $23.77 |
| Minnesota | 4 | 4 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $28.98 |
| North Carolina | 4 | 1 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $24.32 |
| West Virginia | 4 | 1 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $23.46 |
| Colorado | 3 | 1 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $28.17 |
| Connecticut | 3 | 1 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $31.19 |
| Wisconsin | 3 | 1 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $28.08 |
| Alaska | 2 | 0 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $38.87 |
| Arizona | 1 | 1 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $26.73 |
| New York | 1 | 0 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $28.43 |
| Vermont | 1 | 0 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages | $29.27 |
Hourly wages, most active apprentices first. The starting wage is the median across the apprentices who started in fiscal 2023 and the completing wage the median across those who completed it: two groups of people. The BLS figure is the wage survey's median for the occupation in the state, a different source and a different period, so read the two side by side and not as a ratio. Which wages DOL counts and how the state is assigned are on the data page. As a file: every trade and state with an active apprentice (CSV).
What those wages come to a week and a year, at your hours →
How the apprenticeship runs
The Handbook describes employer-based apprenticeship programs for welders: some open to entry-level workers with no prior experience or training, others for those who have finished a welding program at a vocational-technical school. The federal Apprenticeship Finder searches apprenticeship openings by occupation and by city, state or ZIP code. Apprenticeship Finder →
BLS wording
“Workers also may enter the occupation through an employer-based apprenticeship program. Some apprenticeships are available for entry-level workers who have no prior experience or training, while others are targeted toward those who have completed a vocational–technical school welding program.”
From the Occupational Outlook Handbook: Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, read 2026-09-28. The steps in order and pay by state are on How to become a welder.
Common questions
How much do apprentice welders make?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023) the median starting wage of registered apprentices ran from $13.00 an hour in Iowa to $22.07 in Mississippi, across the 7 states where 50 or more apprentices carry a starting wage DOL counts. No state has 50 or more completers with an exit wage DOL counts for fiscal 2023, so no completing median is shown. The starters and the completers are different people, and the wages are in that year's dollars.
How many apprentice welders are there?
U.S. Department of Labor records list 2,071 registered apprentices active across the 50 states and the District of Columbia in fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024) under the occupation titles DOL maps to welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers (SOC 51-4121). The file's fiscal 2024 records largely stop after February 2024. The most are in Texas (351), Iowa (189), Virginia (171), Kentucky (143), Mississippi (129).
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration: Apprenticeship Participant Characteristics and Training Outcomes (the dataset), retrieved 2026-09-24: every apprentice count and apprentice wage. Titles counted for this trade: Welder, Arc; Welder, Combination; Welder-Fitter; Welding (Existing Title: Welder, Combination).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, retrieved 2026-10-03: the median for the occupation, $53,750 a year nationally. How the numbers are built.
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, read 2026-09-28: how the apprenticeship runs.
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