Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers: Job Description
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.
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The Daily Work of Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Take On?
Typical responsibilities of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers span:
- 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.
- Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals.
- Mark or tag material with proper job number, piece marks, and other identifying marks as required.
- Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques.
Skills and Knowledge
Effective welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
These are the skills most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Types of Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Jobs
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Acetylene Burner
- Acetylene Cutter
- Acetylene Operator
- Acetylene Torch Burner
- Acetylene Torch Operator
- Acetylene Torch Solderer
- Aluminum Welder
- Arc Cutter
How Many Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Are There?
There are about 231,383 welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to decline by -4.1% over the projection horizon.
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $60,230 |
| Hourly median | $28.96 |
| 10th percentile | $35,553 |
| 25th percentile | $47,892 |
| 75th percentile | $72,569 |
| 90th percentile | $84,907 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Hawaii | $76,970 |
| Alaska | $75,140 |
| Wyoming | $66,070 |
| Connecticut | $64,520 |
| Washington | $61,730 |
| Massachusetts | $61,710 |
| North Dakota | $60,270 |
| Louisiana | $59,860 |
| New Jersey | $59,630 |
| Nevada | $59,370 |
| Minnesota | $58,730 |
| District of Columbia | $58,700 |
| Oregon | $58,590 |
| Maine | $58,340 |
| California | $57,940 |
| New Hampshire | $57,700 |
| Vermont | $57,520 |
| Virginia | $57,350 |
| New York | $57,230 |
| Colorado | $57,200 |
| Rhode Island | $57,000 |
| Delaware | $56,510 |
| Maryland | $56,420 |
| Utah | $56,050 |
| Wisconsin | $55,630 |
| Arizona | $53,770 |
| New Mexico | $52,460 |
| Montana | $51,280 |
| Pennsylvania | $50,860 |
| Nebraska | $50,550 |
| Virgin Islands | $50,540 |
| North Carolina | $49,860 |
| Texas | $49,830 |
| Illinois | $49,730 |
| Mississippi | $49,490 |
| Missouri | $49,460 |
| Iowa | $49,450 |
| Florida | $49,430 |
| Ohio | $49,410 |
| Kentucky | $49,260 |
| Idaho | $49,190 |
| South Carolina | $49,120 |
| Kansas | $49,040 |
| Michigan | $48,930 |
| Oklahoma | $48,490 |
| Indiana | $48,460 |
| South Dakota | $48,340 |
| Georgia | $48,000 |
| Tennessee | $47,280 |
| Alabama | $47,170 |
| Arkansas | $47,100 |
| West Virginia | $47,000 |
| Guam | $39,950 |
| Puerto Rico | $29,020 |
Where Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Earn the Most
Pay for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers vary by region. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England | $60,085 | 2.5% | 0.82 |
| Far Western US | $59,305 | 9.8% | 0.62 |
| Rocky Mountains | $55,731 | 3.6% | 1.11 |
| Middle Atlantic | $54,125 | 7.3% | 0.66 |
| Plains States | $51,978 | 10.7% | 1.67 |
| Great Lakes | $50,531 | 19.1% | 1.42 |
| Southeast | $50,395 | 28.6% | 1.40 |
| Southwest | $50,132 | 17.9% | 1.49 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbanks-College, AK | AK | $83,400 | 80 |
| Lima, OH | OH | $83,100 | 400 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | HI | $77,350 | 470 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | LA | $75,670 | 3,910 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | WA | $69,140 | 770 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | CT | $69,120 | 700 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $67,560 | 1,160 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | CT | $65,510 | 320 |
Top Industries Employing Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Most welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 278,780 | $49,740 |
| Construction | 60,300 | $60,270 |
| Wholesale Trade | 19,920 | $49,450 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 19,580 | $47,040 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 17,790 | $53,300 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 7,240 | $71,660 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 5,060 | $64,300 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4,340 | $63,390 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Tech Stack
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Oracle Database (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
The on-the-job environment of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers reflects the following characteristics:
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
- Time Pressure
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
Getting Started in This Career
Entry-level welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Boilermakers (Primary-Short)
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers (Primary-Long)
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics (Supplemental)
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers (Primary-Short)
- Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers (Primary-Long)
- Engine and Other Machine Assemblers (Primary-Short)
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters (Primary-Short)
- Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Supplemental)
Where to Study
Aspiring welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers often complete programs in:
Precision Production
1 programs across 1 majors
Engineering Technologies and Engineering-Related Fields
1 programs across 1 majors
Sources
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 51-4121.00 (Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers).
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