Welders in the Niles area earn a median of $49,040 a year, 6% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #281 of 382 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Michigan City and Elkhart, but less in South Bend.
It's one of 15 Michigan metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide welder pay.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for welders here is below average compared with other U.S. metros, and also below average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (5.3%) and the population is shrinking (-1.3% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 10 one-person industrial machinery repair businesses averaging $46,600 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $65/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
Niles scorecard for welders Our calculation
Grades compare Niles with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($52,285).
Pay over time
The median pay for welders in the Niles area went from $41,130 in 2020 to $49,040 in 2025, up 19.2%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -4.9% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Niles Our calculation
Prices in the Niles area run 8% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $53,091 would in a typical place, ranking #257 of 377 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
What welders do
Use hand-welding, flame-cutting, hand-soldering, or brazing equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits.
- Examine workpieces for defects and measure workpieces with straightedges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications.
- Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions.
- Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors.
- Recognize, set up, and operate hand and power tools common to the welding trade, such as shielded metal arc and gas metal arc welding equipment.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, welder jobs are projected to grow 2.4% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 40,300 openings a year. About 4% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often welders deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in Michigan Official source
The main state licensing office in Michigan is the LARA Bureau of Construction Codes. It can point you to the right license for welders.
Official Michigan licensing site ↗
Requirements for welders vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, welders have 43 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 50% below the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying MI metros for welders
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bay CityMICHIGAN · MI | $57,760 | $62,837 | 130 |
| Ann ArborMICHIGAN · MI | $54,180 | $53,707 | 220 |
| Battle CreekMICHIGAN · MI | $52,970 | $58,504 | 210 |
| DetroitMICHIGAN · MI | $51,810 | $51,656 | 4,580 |
| LansingMICHIGAN · MI | $50,370 | $53,026 | 370 |
| JacksonMICHIGAN · MI | $49,790 | $54,250 | 130 |
| MonroeMICHIGAN · MI | $49,570 | $53,021 | 240 |
| Traverse CityMICHIGAN · MI | $49,420 | $52,928 | 130 |
| NilesMICHIGAN · MI | $49,040 | $53,091 | 230 |
| Grand RapidsMICHIGAN · MI | $48,920 | $51,200 | 2,520 |
See every metro in Michigan.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Niles area's unemployment rate was 5.3% in 2025 (all workers, not just welders), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 5.5% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Niles area is 22 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 10% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 77% drive alone, 1% take transit and 10% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Niles area's population shrank 1.3% from 2020 to 2025 (154,395 → 152,444), ranking #341 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in Niles are up 12% from 2021 to 2025 (331 → 372).
In 2025 the Niles area approved permits for 372 new homes (255 single-family), or 2.4 per 1,000 residents, ranking #264 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 10 one-person businesses (no employees) in industrial machinery repair, averaging $46,600 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 9 industrial machinery repair companies that have employees (about 77 workers in total). 78% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $49,040 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
How this calculator works. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get welder pricing & estimate templates →Compare Niles with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Pay over time: BLS OEWS May 2020–2025, local; inflation from the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Housing: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local (age of homes, ownership, home values).
- Population: Census Bureau population estimates, 2020–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.