Structural Welder Salary: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
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The median annual wage for Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN was $52,650 in May 2025 (BLS). The middle half of workers earned between $46,270 and $61,750.
Broader occupation Our title "Structural Welder" is reported by BLS as SOC 51-4121 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers. BLS groups Structural Welder within Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately.
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $1,100 below the national median of $53,750 (-2.0%).
Annual wages
Structural Welder, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, annual wages: 10% earned less than $39,130, half earned less than the median of $52,650, 90% earned less than $74,450 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,130 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $46,270 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $52,650 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $61,750 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $74,450 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $56,180 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Hourly wages
Structural Welder, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, hourly wages: 10% earned less than $18.81, half earned less than the median of $25.31, 90% earned less than $35.79 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Hourly wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.81 per hour | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $22.24 per hour | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $25.31 per hour | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $29.69 per hour | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $35.79 per hour | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $27.01 per hour | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
National comparison
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,240 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $46,790 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $53,750 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $63,010 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $77,530 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $56,760 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 51-4121 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.
What BLS wages include. Base pay plus any guaranteed or production-based incentive pay. They leave out overtime, discretionary bonus, benefits, per diem and relocation.
BLS definitions, verbatim
wages
Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
hours
Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly wages by 2,080 hours; for occupations where hourly wages are not published, annual wages were taken directly from the reported survey data.
Which related roles have a different BLS occupation?
A supervisory occupation is not an experience percentile for the craft. Compare the actual responsibilities and the published SOC.
Pipefitter Foreman (47-1011)Welding Foreman (51-1011)Pipe Fabrication Shop Foreman (49-1011)Pipefitting General Foreman (47-1011)Pipefitting Superintendent (11-9021)What do these published wages mean for an offer?
Skilled Trades Headhunters reads the May 2025 figures for Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN as an offer reference, not a quote for a particular candidate. For Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, the published median for SOC 51-4121, Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, is $52,650 per year. The middle half of the Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage distribution runs from $46,270 to $61,750, a width of $15,480 per year; that spread shows how much published pay varies within the occupation and area, without assigning experience levels.
Against the United States estimate, the Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $1,100 below the national median of $53,750. For Structural Welder, Kankakee, IL reports $47,460 per year, $5,190 below Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN; For Structural Welder, Niles, MI reports $49,040 per year, $3,610 below Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. The neighbors used for Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN are the nearest metro representative points with a released median, using Census geography, not a commuting or cost-of-living adjustment.
The highest published medians among the selected national industry rows for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, read alongside Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, are Air Transportation at $137,730 per year (NAICS 481000); Scheduled Air Transportation at $137,730 per year (NAICS 481100); Other Pipeline Transportation at $106,170 per year (NAICS 486900). Those Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN industry comparisons are national cross-sections, not local industry estimates; BLS does not give us a metro-by-industry wage cut here, and overlapping industry groups should not be added together.
The Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median was $50,700 per year in May 2024, compared with $52,650 in May 2025, a published difference of $1,950. That Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN comparison is between separate BLS releases, not the raise paid to the same workers or a projection of next year's offer. Read the $50,700 and $52,650 Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN estimates with both dates visible, because the employers and workers represented by the survey can change.
Before offering $52,650 per year for Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, separate overtime, per diem, lodging and mobilization separately; prevailing wage obligations and union scale depend on the assignment and agreement, not a special BLS traveling-worker percentile. The Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN BLS comparison includes ordinary wages and qualifying incentive pay, but leaves overtime, discretionary bonuses, benefits and relocation outside this wage figure. A candidate's take-home pay and the employer's total cost for Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN can therefore differ from the median without either number being an error.
The mapping for Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is broader: BLS groups Structural Welder within Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately. When calibrating a Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN opening, the work checks include AWS D1.1 (3G/4G), FCAW/SMAW, shop vs field; ask for evidence of that scope instead of using a percentile as a substitute for qualification. A broader occupation can combine jobs that a Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN buyer would screen separately, which is why the badge and SOC remain beside the figures.
Questions about this occupation and area
What does the middle-half band tell a Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN buyer?
Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN has a published middle-half band of $46,270 to $61,750, a width of $15,480 per year, with median $52,650. An offer inside that Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN band is not automatically competitive for every scope; match the required work and the separate pay terms first.
Which areas should I compare before hiring Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
Kankakee, IL and Niles, MI are the nearest published metro reference points used for Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Comparing those Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers tables with the $52,650 Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median does not measure commuting costs or predict what a particular applicant will accept.
Are the industry figures local to Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN uses national industry rows for SOC 51-4121, not local sector-specific wages. Air Transportation leads the selected sortable rows at $137,730 per year, but that national industry figure is not a quoted offer for Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.
What changed between the releases for Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN moved from $50,700 in May 2024 to $52,650 in May 2025. These Structural Welder in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN published medians do not describe an individual raise or establish a future wage trend.
What changed since May 2024
SOC 51-4121. Published annual median: $50,700 (May 2024) and $52,650 (May 2025). These are two BLS releases, not a projection.