Best Welding Schools in Arizona (2026)

Quick answer: Welders in Arizona earn a median of $55,600 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited welder schools in Arizona with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

This guide rounds up welder schools serving Arizona and the local job-market figures worth checking first. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $55,600 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Arizona Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$55,600BLS OEWS, May 2025
Arizona pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$39,970 to $81,280BLS OEWS, May 2025
Top-paying Arizona metro for this fieldPhoenix, AZ, $56,540BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2024 to 2034)+2.2% growth, about 45,600 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
State employment7,270 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
Arizona location quotient0.84BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the Welder Career

What You’ll Find Below

The school listings below are sorted by proximity to Programs. Each entry includes the school name, address, and the credentials offered. Use the Arizona figures above as a reference point when comparing program length, schedule, and tuition.

How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention. Advertising plays no part.

This page lists 12 schools within 149 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 11 of them carry a score. 1 does not have enough federal outcome data to score, and appears last rather than being hidden.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%

Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.

#1

Universal Technical Institute of Arizona Inc

Avondale, AZ 84.8 miles away BOC Score 64.1
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 66.6%
  • Programs offered: 11
  • Annual completions: 1906
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $58,404 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

Yavapai College

Prescott, AZ 149.2 miles away BOC Score 57.1
Tuition $2,948 - $14,988
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 32.8%
  • Programs offered: 80
  • Annual completions: 1709
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $57,288 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Mesa Community College

Mesa, AZ 64.4 miles away BOC Score 54.1
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 15.6% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 73
  • Annual completions: 5754
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $68,596 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Pima Community College

Tucson, AZ 33.4 miles away BOC Score 53.7
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 24.6% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 91
  • Annual completions: 3284
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $50,345 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

Eastern Arizona College

Thatcher, AZ 81.5 miles away BOC Score 52.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 41.9% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 67
  • Annual completions: 2194
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $41,991 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Central Arizona College

Coolidge, AZ 34.8 miles away BOC Score 51.4
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 25.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 86
  • Annual completions: 881
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $48,765 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Refrigeration School Inc

Phoenix, AZ 72.1 miles away BOC Score 50.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 75.2% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 13
  • Annual completions: 2151
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $57,186 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#9

Cochise County Community College District

Sierra Vista, AZ 93.5 miles away BOC Score 40.7
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 30.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 60
  • Annual completions: 895
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $53,908 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#10

Miller-Motte College-Arizona Automotive Institute

Glendale, AZ 83.1 miles away BOC Score 37.5
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 55.2% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 11
  • Annual completions: 586
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $34,393 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#11

East Valley Institute of Technology

Mesa, AZ 65.6 miles away BOC Score 36.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 64.0%
  • Programs offered: 23
  • Annual completions: 605
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $50,098 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

Welder Pay and Job Outlook

Annual Wage by Percentile, United States - Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers annual wage percentiles, BLS OEWS May 2025P10 $39240, P25 $46790, P50 $53750, P75 $63010, P90 $77530.10th$39,24025th$46,79050th (median)$53,75075th$63,01090th$77,530
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers annual wage percentiles
PercentileAnnual wage
10th$39,240
25th$46,790
50th (median)$53,750
75th$63,010
90th$77,530
Projected employment growth, United States, Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, 2024-2034
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers employment 2024 vs 2034 projection, BLS Employment Projections2024 employment 457300; 2034 projected employment 467200; percent change +2.2%.2024457,300 jobs2034 (proj.)467,200 jobsChange: +2.2%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers employment projection 2024 to 2034
YearEmployment
2024457,300
2034 projected467,200
Percent change+2.2%


Frequently Asked Questions

How long does welder training take in Arizona?

Welder certificate programs in Arizona typically take 6 to 12 months of full-time study, while associate degree programs generally run about 2 years. Many welders also enter the field through a registered apprenticeship, which combines paid on-the-job training with related classroom instruction and usually takes 3 to 5 years to complete. Actual completion time depends on schedule (full-time vs. part-time) and any prerequisite coursework.

How much do welders earn in Arizona?

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), welders in Arizona earned a median annual wage of approximately $55,600. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $39,970 to $81,280 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many welder schools are in Arizona?

The schools listed above are within about 800 miles of Programs. Compare them by tuition, program length, and the credential each one awards.


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)