SalaryExplorer

SOC 51-4121 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers — Saginaw

Saginaw, MI · 10 metro areas compared

$48,820 /year
$23.47per hour
220jobs in area
−9.2%vs US median

Median pay for this occupation in Saginaw, MI is $48,820 a year, trailing the national median of $53,750 by 9.2%.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $53,75010TH$38,08025TH$45,120MEDIAN$48,82075TH$57,67090TH$74,500

How pay has moved

$51,513$35,3582019202020212022202320242025$48,820
$39,780 in 2019 to $48,820 in 2025, +22.7% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+2.2%
Openings per year
45,600
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

6.3% of people in this occupation work for themselves.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Saginaw, MI.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

Median pay for this occupation in Saginaw, MI is $48,820 a year, trailing the national median of $53,750 by 9.2%. Half of workers earn between $45,120 and $57,670. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $38,080 and the ninetieth at $74,500.

The area has 220 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 1.03 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Bay City leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $57,760. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 168th of 282 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Saginaw, MI · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$38,080−29.2%
25th$45,120−16.1%
Median (50th)$48,820−9.2%
75th$57,670+7.3%
90th$74,500+38.6%
Mean$54,360+1.1%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Michigan

Median annual wage for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Bay City$57,760130
2Ann Arbor$54,180220
3Battle Creek$52,970210
4Detroit$51,8104,580
5Lansing$50,370370
6Jackson$49,790130
7Monroe$49,570240
8Traverse City$49,420130
9Niles$49,040230
10Grand Rapids$48,9202,520

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Saginaw run 9.1% below the national average, so the median of $48,820 goes as far as $53,707 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 0.1% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$48,820as reported by BLS

Local price level

90.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$53,707US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $48,820 a year, 9.2% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $38,080 to $74,500 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 220 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Bay City, at $57,760.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in Saginaw, MI?

The median annual wage is $48,820, or $23.47 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $53,750, so pay in Saginaw, MI is 9.2% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Saginaw, MI earns more than $74,500 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $38,080 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Bay City, at $57,760 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 220 jobs in this occupation in Saginaw, MI. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.