WELDER
Joins metal. Everything from your car frame to nuclear submarines. The trade with the highest variance in pay. Colorado is not a right-to-work state — union density is higher than average and prevailing wage rules cover most public projects.
The License.
Check with Colorado directly — licensing for weldervaries by municipality in this state. There is no single state board that we can point to with confidence for this trade. Contact your local city or county building department, or check the state labor department's website.
The Money.
Pay data for this trade in Colorado. BLS metro-level data was not available for this combination. National medians shown below.
| Stage | Hourly range | Approx. annual |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 apprentice | $17–$22/hr | $34,000 – $44,000 |
| Journeyman scale | $28–$65/hr | $56,000 – $130,000 |
| BLS national median | — | $50,630 |
| BLS top 10% | — | $71,820 |
Colorado is NOT a right-to-work state. Union scale in Colorado's major metros typically runs 20–40% above the national median. Prevailing wage laws apply to most public-sector projects.
The Path.
Colorado is a State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) state — it administers its own apprenticeship programs separately from the federal RAPIDS system. Contact the state labor department directly or visit apprenticeship.gov and filter by state.
- · Boilermakers
- · Ironworkers
- · UA (welder classification)
- · SMART
The Exam.
Industrial trade licensing in Colorado often falls under boiler, pressure vessel, or contractor rules. Confirm the applicable exam provider and code edition with the relevant board. Prevailing wage requirements in Colorado apply to most public-sector projects, which ties exam and licensure to wage scale compliance for contractors.
Be honest about pass rates. Many licensing boards do not publish them. When they do, first-time pass rates for journeyman exams in the trades typically run 50–75%. Preparation time varies — most serious candidates spend 60–120 hours on exam prep. Use code books from the correct edition, not what's currently in print.
What recruiters won't tell you.
- 01Trade school welding programs vary wildly. Community college is usually a better bet than for-profit.
- 02Pipeline welding pay is real but the work is feast-or-famine and brutally far from home.
- 03Underwater welding pays huge but has a fatality rate to match — research it honestly.
- 04Many welders develop lung issues, back issues, or eye damage — PPE discipline matters from day one.