Welder salary in Montana
Median $26.73 an hour for 1,530 welders, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.
Welder pay in Montana: the full range
Montana ranks 27th of 51 states for median welder pay, and 18th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $28.26). 1,530 welders work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.9× what the bottom 10% earn.
| Career stage (approximate) | Hourly | Annual | Where it sits in the distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $21.02 – $22.88 | $43,720 – $47,590 | roughly the 10th to 25th percentile |
| Journeyman | $22.88 – $30.54 | $47,590 – $63,520 | the middle half, around the median |
| Master, foreman or specialist | $30.54 – $39.17 | $63,520 – $81,470 | the 75th to 90th percentile and above |
Where does your pay fall?
Welder pay by metro in Montana
| Metro | 10th | Median $/hr | Cost-of-living adjusted | 90th | Jobs | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bozeman | $22.17 | $28.43 | $27.74 | $35.74 | 170 | 6% above |
| Great Falls | $22.86 | $26.79 | $27.68 | $47.87 | 120 | about the same as |
| Billings | $22.11 | $25.32 | $27.08 | $39.28 | 430 | 5% below |
| Missoula | $18.85 | $22.94 | $23.80 | $33.54 | 160 | 14% below |
Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).
Welder wages in Montana over time
Table
| Year | Montana $/hr | In 2025 $ | US $/hr | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | $12.88 | $24.89 | $12.58 | 440 |
| 2000 | $14.22 | $26.59 | $13.13 | 910 |
| 2001 | $14.94 | $27.16 | $13.70 | 980 |
| 2002 | $12.98 | $23.23 | $14.02 | 830 |
| 2003 | $12.73 | $22.27 | $14.25 | 840 |
| 2004 | $13.54 | $23.08 | $14.72 | 800 |
| 2005 | $13.66 | $22.52 | $14.90 | 840 |
| 2006 | — | — | $15.10 | 960 |
| 2007 | $15.86 | $24.63 | $15.51 | 1,020 |
| 2008 | $16.86 | $25.21 | $16.13 | 1,200 |
| 2009 | $17.51 | $26.28 | $16.71 | 970 |
| 2010 | $17.33 | $25.59 | $17.04 | 960 |
| 2011 | $17.35 | $24.83 | $17.27 | 890 |
| 2012 | $17.44 | $24.45 | $17.45 | 1,110 |
| 2013 | $16.23 | $22.43 | $17.66 | 1,140 |
| 2014 | $17.29 | $23.51 | $17.99 | 1,320 |
| 2015 | $17.57 | $23.87 | $18.34 | 1,370 |
| 2016 | $18.29 | $24.53 | $18.94 | 1,290 |
| 2017 | $18.41 | $24.18 | $19.35 | 1,310 |
| 2018 | $19.27 | $24.71 | $19.89 | 1,300 |
| 2019 | $19.85 | $25.00 | $20.43 | 1,410 |
| 2020 | $21.39 | $26.61 | $21.25 | 1,230 |
| 2021 | $22.42 | $26.64 | $22.60 | 1,330 |
| 2022 | $22.99 | $25.29 | $22.86 | 1,480 |
| 2023 | $22.70 | $23.98 | $23.53 | 1,540 |
| 2024 | $24.66 | $25.31 | $24.52 | 1,340 |
| 2025 | $26.73 | $26.73 | $25.84 | 1,530 |
In today's dollars, the median welder wage in Montana changed by +12.0% over the last ten years of data and by +6.9% since 2019.
Are there more welder jobs in Montana?
BLS counted 1,530 welders in Montana in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 6%. With fewer than 3,000 jobs or a wide margin of error, year-to-year changes are within the survey's noise and are not shown as a trend.
Outlook for welders in Montana
Montana's labor market agency projects the number of welders in the state to change by +14.4% between 2024 and 2034, from 1,470 to 1,680, with about 170 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 1,530 counted by the BLS employer survey.
Source: Montana labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page).
Is construction work growing in Montana?
Keep comparing
Welder pay in neighbouring states
Other trades in Montana
More on Montana
Questions this page answers
How much do welders make in Montana?
The median welder in Montana earned $26.73 an hour ($55,610 a year) in May 2025, 3% above the national median of $25.84. The middle half earn $22.88–$30.54; the top 10% earn more than $39.17.
Where does Montana rank for welder pay?
Montana ranks 27th of 51 states for welder pay, with a median of $26.73 an hour, and 18th after adjusting for Montana's cost of living (BEA price parity 94.6, US = 100).
What is the union welder rate in Montana?
Davis-Bacon determinations do not list a welder classification for most Montana counties, or the trade is not covered; the BLS wage figures above are the best available measure.
How many welders work in Montana?
BLS counted 1,530 welders in Montana in May 2025, 3.0 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.12; 1.0 is the national average concentration).
Is welder work growing in Montana?
Montana's labor market agency projects +14.4% growth for welders between 2024 and 2034, from 1,470 to 1,680 jobs.
How many welder openings a year are there in Montana?
Montana projects about 170 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, Montana 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: Montana labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.