Welder salary in Iowa
Median $26.49 an hour for 9,270 welders, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.
Welder pay in Iowa: the full range
Iowa ranks 28th of 51 states for median welder pay, and 8th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $30.17). 9,270 welders work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.4× what the bottom 10% earn.
| Career stage (approximate) | Hourly | Annual | Where it sits in the distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $21.92 – $23.20 | $45,590 – $48,250 | roughly the 10th to 25th percentile |
| Journeyman | $23.20 – $28.94 | $48,250 – $60,200 | the middle half, around the median |
| Master, foreman or specialist | $28.94 – $31.37 | $60,200 – $65,250 | the 75th to 90th percentile and above |
Where does your pay fall?
Welder pay by metro in Iowa
| Metro | 10th | Median $/hr | Cost-of-living adjusted | 90th | Jobs | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | $22.70 | $28.84 | $31.45 | $35.99 | 1,170 | 9% above |
| Ames | $19.53 | $28.15 | $31.70 | $32.27 | 170 | 6% above |
| Sioux City | $18.88 | $27.99 | $32.36 | $35.00 | 440 | 6% above |
| Iowa City | $22.35 | $27.78 | $30.36 | $36.26 | 130 | 5% above |
| Cedar Rapids | $21.90 | $27.28 | $30.65 | $31.82 | 560 | 3% above |
| Dubuque | $22.70 | $26.97 | $30.89 | $31.23 | 330 | 2% above |
| Omaha | $21.53 | $25.53 | $27.78 | $33.73 | 1,060 | 4% below |
| Waterloo | $22.26 | $24.56 | $28.20 | $30.75 | 540 | 7% below |
| Davenport | $18.88 | $23.38 | $26.24 | $34.59 | 1,240 | 12% below |
Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).
Welder wages in Iowa over time
Table
| Year | Iowa $/hr | In 2025 $ | US $/hr | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | $12.24 | $23.65 | $12.58 | 7,960 |
| 2000 | $12.94 | $24.19 | $13.13 | 7,980 |
| 2001 | $13.11 | $23.83 | $13.70 | 7,320 |
| 2002 | $13.27 | $23.75 | $14.02 | 6,820 |
| 2003 | $13.51 | $23.64 | $14.25 | 6,430 |
| 2004 | $13.74 | $23.42 | $14.72 | 6,780 |
| 2005 | $13.94 | $22.98 | $14.90 | 8,310 |
| 2006 | $14.45 | $23.08 | $15.10 | 8,890 |
| 2007 | $14.85 | $23.06 | $15.51 | 9,330 |
| 2008 | $15.24 | $22.79 | $16.13 | 8,680 |
| 2009 | $15.36 | $23.05 | $16.71 | 7,530 |
| 2010 | $15.79 | $23.31 | $17.04 | 6,120 |
| 2011 | $16.22 | $23.21 | $17.27 | 6,610 |
| 2012 | $16.49 | $23.12 | $17.45 | 7,370 |
| 2013 | $16.62 | $22.97 | $17.66 | 8,570 |
| 2014 | $17.00 | $23.12 | $17.99 | 8,690 |
| 2015 | $17.14 | $23.28 | $18.34 | 8,900 |
| 2016 | $17.42 | $23.37 | $18.94 | 8,590 |
| 2017 | $17.86 | $23.46 | $19.35 | 8,370 |
| 2018 | $18.54 | $23.77 | $19.89 | 7,520 |
| 2019 | $18.99 | $23.91 | $20.43 | 7,700 |
| 2020 | $19.86 | $24.70 | $21.25 | 7,830 |
| 2021 | $22.42 | $26.64 | $22.60 | 8,400 |
| 2022 | $22.44 | $24.69 | $22.86 | 7,810 |
| 2023 | $23.33 | $24.65 | $23.53 | 8,490 |
| 2024 | $23.77 | $24.40 | $24.52 | 9,250 |
| 2025 | $26.49 | $26.49 | $25.84 | 9,270 |
In today's dollars, the median welder wage in Iowa changed by +13.8% over the last ten years of data and by +10.8% since 2019.
Are there more welder jobs in Iowa?
Since 1999, the number of welders counted in Iowa has changed by +16.5%, against +1.5% for the country as a whole. Since 2019 the state count changed by +20.4%.
Table
| Year | Iowa jobs | Iowa index | US index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 7,960 | 100 | 100 |
| 2000 | 7,980 | 100 | 101 |
| 2001 | 7,320 | 92 | 93 |
| 2002 | 6,820 | 86 | 88 |
| 2003 | 6,430 | 81 | 86 |
| 2004 | 6,780 | 85 | 84 |
| 2005 | 8,310 | 104 | 87 |
| 2006 | 8,890 | 112 | 92 |
| 2007 | 9,330 | 117 | 94 |
| 2008 | 8,680 | 109 | 96 |
| 2009 | 7,530 | 95 | 87 |
| 2010 | 6,120 | 77 | 77 |
| 2011 | 6,610 | 83 | 77 |
| 2012 | 7,370 | 93 | 80 |
| 2013 | 8,570 | 108 | 86 |
| 2014 | 8,690 | 109 | 90 |
| 2015 | 8,900 | 112 | 94 |
| 2016 | 8,590 | 108 | 93 |
| 2017 | 8,370 | 105 | 92 |
| 2018 | 7,520 | 94 | 95 |
| 2019 | 7,700 | 97 | 100 |
| 2020 | 7,830 | 98 | 97 |
| 2021 | 8,400 | 106 | 97 |
| 2022 | 7,810 | 98 | 100 |
| 2023 | 8,490 | 107 | 103 |
| 2024 | 9,250 | 116 | 103 |
| 2025 | 9,270 | 116 | 102 |
Job counts are BLS OEWS survey estimates built from three years of samples, so moves of a few percent from one year to the next are within the survey's margin. Self-employed tradespeople are not counted. Areas with fewer than 3,000 jobs or a large sampling error are shown as a single figure rather than a trend.
Outlook for welders in Iowa
Iowa's labor market agency projects the number of welders in the state to change by +7.7% between 2024 and 2034, from 9,100 to 9,800, with about 980 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +2.4% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed and use a different base year, so they do not match the 9,270 counted by the BLS employer survey.
Source: Iowa labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page).
Is construction work growing in Iowa?
Keep comparing
Welder pay in neighbouring states
Other trades in Iowa
More on Iowa
Questions this page answers
How much do welders make in Iowa?
The median welder in Iowa earned $26.49 an hour ($55,090 a year) in May 2025, 3% above the national median of $25.84. The middle half earn $23.20–$28.94; the top 10% earn more than $31.37.
Where does Iowa rank for welder pay?
Iowa ranks 28th of 51 states for welder pay, with a median of $26.49 an hour, and 8th after adjusting for Iowa's cost of living (BEA price parity 87.8, US = 100).
What is the union welder rate in Iowa?
Davis-Bacon determinations do not list a welder classification for most Iowa counties, or the trade is not covered; the BLS wage figures above are the best available measure.
How many welders work in Iowa?
BLS counted 9,270 welders in Iowa in May 2025, 5.9 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 2.22; 1.0 is the national average concentration).
Is welder work growing in Iowa?
The BLS employer survey count of welders in Iowa went from 8,900 in 2015 to 9,270 in 2025, +4.2%, and +20.4% since 2019. Iowa's labor market agency projects +7.7% growth for welders between 2024 and 2034, from 9,100 to 9,800 jobs.
How many welder openings a year are there in Iowa?
Iowa projects about 980 openings a year for welders over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 40,300 a year.
Sources and notes
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Iowa and metro areas, SOC 51-4121. Job counts are survey estimates and exclude the self-employed.
- BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-09.
- BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (cost-of-living adjustment).
- SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Not the official determination.
- BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
- State projection: Iowa labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.