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Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers: Career Profile
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.
What Do Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Do?
The core tasks performed by welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers cover:
- 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.
What Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Need to Know
Effective welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The abilities that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Other Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Job Titles
This career also goes by job titles like:
- 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. Employment is projected to decline by -4.1% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Make?
| 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 |
Compensation varies 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 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Earnings for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers shift depending on where you work. Top regions by median wage:
| 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 |
Top Metro Areas
| 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 |
Industry Breakdown
The bulk of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers are found across these industries:
| 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 |
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers work in the following industries:
Tools and Technology
- 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 work environment for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers is shaped by 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
How to Become Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
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.
Other Careers to Consider
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)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Students preparing for 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
References
This profile draws on 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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