Welding & fabrication recruiters serving Madison.
Structural fabrication for UW Health's hospital additions and Epic's new buildings, including the Black Hole parking structure, is steady demand.
Two named projects, a documented 6-8% wage growth.
Metro pay for every role we recruit is in the table below.
We recruit across the full org chart for welding and fabrication contractors in Madison against that documented context.
Two named projects, driving steady demand.
Named directly in the metro's own data.
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A six-story addition with 22 emergency department rooms, 22 flexible care beds, 48 inpatient rooms, and a dedicated trauma/life support center - the named healthcare driver behind steady structural fabrication demand.
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A "Black Hole" parking structure with 2,000+ stalls, three new office buildings, a food services building, and a 5.5-acre underground parking ramp on Epic's ~1,700-acre Verona campus - the named driver alongside UW Health.
What welding & fabrication roles pay in Madison.
In the Madison metro, BLS puts the median for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers at $59,530 a year, 11% above the $53,750 national median. Among the 112 metros BLS publishes for this occupation, Madison ranks 23rd on pay. Most of the market sits between $45,140 and $71,270. Of the other field roles, structural iron and steel worker pays the most locally, at a $92,460 median. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Welding & Fabrication Salary Guide.
| Role | Madison median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welder / CutterWelders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers (51-4121) | $59,530 | $45,140–$71,270 | $53,750 | +11% | 1,010 |
| Structural Iron and Steel WorkerStructural Iron and Steel Workers (47-2221) | $92,460 | $59,170–$105,040 | $62,780 | +47% | 70 |
| Structural Metal Fabricator / FitterStructural Metal Fabricators and Fitters (51-2041) | $58,490 | $47,770–$59,520 | $51,330 | +14% | 390 |
| MachinistMachinists (51-4041) | $60,830 | $41,060–$85,350 | $58,750 | +4% | 700 |
| Fabrication SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers (51-1011) | $76,700 | $52,740–$104,970 | $74,450 | +3% | 2,000 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Madison metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile. Headcount is shown for field occupations only; management, estimating and supervisory codes are counted across every industry in the metro.
What candidates expect. What credentials matter. What kills offers.
We don't tell prospective clients who their competitors are hiring - that's a discipline our clients value, and we'll honor it on a call. What we will share publicly: how Madison welding and fabrication hiring actually plays out in 2026.
Why we name both UW Health and Epic Systems specifically
UW Health's an unspecified share of a $310M combined authorization hospital addition and Epic's sixth campus (including the "Black Hole" parking structure) are both named directly in the metro's own data as drivers of steady structural fabrication demand.
Why a documented +6-8% wage growth is honest context here
The hub tracks 6-8% wage growth for this trade, tied to concurrent hospital and Epic campus construction - a specific, documented figure, not a vague claim.
What this means for sourcing
We source against structural fabrication experience relevant to both healthcare-grade hospital additions and large-scale corporate campus construction.
Realistic timelines
Steady demand across two concurrent named projects. First slate of vetted candidates within 48 hours.
The welding and fabrication positions we fill, most often.
Across all Madison welding and fabrication clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months.
- Structural fabricator (hospital addition)
- Structural welder (corporate campus construction)
- Standard shop welder
- Welding & fabrication project manager
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in Madison, see the Madison metro overview. To learn more about welding and fabrication generally (across all 100+ markets we serve), see our Welding & Fabrication industry page.
How we recruit welding & fabrication in Madison, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - but tuned for what works in Madison's welding and fabrication segment specifically:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers. For Madison welding work, we also confirm whether the role sits on the UW Health addition or the Epic campus.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing Madison welding and fabrication candidate network, filtered for the right project scope.
- Vetted short list (week one to several weeks). Three to five candidates. We verify real welding history and certifications rather than a line on a resume.
- Offer and close. We help with offer math against Madison's documented 6-8% wage growth.
Madison runs 7% fewer welding and fabrication workers per job than the country as a whole — below the national concentration. Fewer per job means the people you want are already working, and usually for someone who would rather keep them.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 , Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers. Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Madison's welding and fabrication market compares
In 2023 the Madison metro had 4 nonresidential structural steel contractors (counted by business location), with about 95 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $71,657, 8.7% below the national average of $78,464 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 30.1% over the year, faster than the 2.3% national increase, so local employers were adding people quicker than most of the country. That works out to 0.6 per 100,000 residents against 1.2 nationally. Fewer local employers means experienced people are easier to identify, but many work for firms based outside the metro.
In 2023 the Madison metro had 4 structural metal fabricators (counted by business location). BLS publishes that count but withholds headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers. The number of these employers fell 20%, as firms merged, closed or moved out. That works out to 0.6 per 100,000 residents against 1.1 nationally. Fewer local employers means experienced people are easier to identify, but many work for firms based outside the metro.
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Madison ranks 64th for headcount, 20th for median pay and 37th for concentration for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 3,400 | $59,390 | 1.55 | 7 |
| Madison | 1,010 | $59,530 | 0.93 | 4 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For welding and fabrication employers in Madison, the pool is about the national norm for its size and local employers are adding people, so expect competing offers on experienced candidates and keep the process short.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Madison metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Madison's welding & fabrication market has changed since 2018.
Madison had 4 nonresidential structural steel contractors in 2023, exactly as many as in 2018. With so few firms, one opening or closing moves that percentage a long way. Headcount at those firms went up 10%, to about 95 people. Average annual pay there went from $59,768 to $71,657 (+20%), in step with the 22% national increase. Madison had 4 structural metal fabricators in 2023, exactly as many as in 2018. With so few firms, one opening or closing moves that percentage a long way. How many people those 4 locations employ is not published: with a category this small, BLS would effectively be reporting individual employers' payrolls.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential structural steel contractors: business locations | 4 | 4 | +0% |
| Nonresidential structural steel contractors: employment | 86 | 95 | +10% |
| Nonresidential structural steel contractors: average annual pay | $59,768 | $71,657 | +20% |
| Structural metal fabricators: business locations | 4 | 4 | +0% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Frequently asked — welding & fabrication hiring in Madison.
What are Madison's named welding demand centers?
The an unspecified share of a $310M combined authorization UW Health University Hospital addition (a six-story build with 48 inpatient rooms and a dedicated trauma center) and Epic Systems' sixth campus, including the "Black Hole" parking structure with 2,000+ stalls.
Is welding and fabrication talent expensive to staff in Madison?
The hub tracks 6-8% wage growth for this trade in Madison, tied to concurrent hospital and Epic campus construction.
What do welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers earn in Madison?
BLS puts the Madison median for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers at $59,530 a year, 11% above the $53,750 national median. That ranks 23rd of 112 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $45,140 to $71,270 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other Wisconsin metro we cover pays more for this work (Milwaukee: $59,390).
Is it hard to hire welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers in Madison?
It is about average. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers are as common in Madison as they are nationally (location quotient 0.93), with about 1,010 in the metro. The 4 nonresidential structural steel contractors here average about 24 employees per location.
Which welding & fabrication roles pay the most in Madison?
Of the roles we recruit for, Structural Iron and Steel Worker pays the most in Madison, a $92,460 median. Structural Metal Fabricator / Fitter is the lowest-paid field role at $58,490. Relative to national pay, Structural Iron and Steel Worker is the strongest-paying role here (47% above).
How many nonresidential structural steel contractors operate in Madison?
BLS counted 4 nonresidential structural steel contractors in Madison in 2023, employing about 95 people between them. That is roughly where the count stood in 2018 (4). That averages 24 people per location. They pay an average of $71,657, 9% below the $78,464 national average for the same kind of employer. BLS counted 4 structural metal fabricators in Madison in 2023. That is roughly where the count stood in 2018 (4). BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers.
Which nearby metros compete with Madison for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Milwaukee (76 miles, about 3,400, $59,390 median), Chicago (123 miles, about 9,320, $52,650 median) and Grand Rapids (189 miles, about 2,520, $48,920 median). Milwaukee has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Madison out-pays Chicago and Grand Rapids, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Hiring welding & fabrication talent in Madison?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you timeline and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.