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Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in Alabama
Considering working as a Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in Alabama? Below are the key facts. 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 Make in Alabama?
For welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers working in Alabama, the median annual wage is $47,170 per year (or roughly $22.68/hour).Annual wages span from $33,300 at the 10th percentile to $66,590 at the 90th percentile.
| Wage Statistic | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $33,300 | $16.01 |
| 25th percentile | $38,150 | $18.34 |
| Median (50th) | $47,170 | $22.68 |
| 75th percentile | $58,960 | $28.34 |
| 90th percentile | $66,590 | $32.02 |
The location quotient — a measure of how concentrated this occupation is in Alabama relative to the national average — is 2.19, indicating that welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers are more concentrated here than the national average.
National Wage Comparison
Nationally, welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers earn a median of $60,230 per year ($28.96/hour), lower than the Alabama median.
Employment Outlook
There are roughly 231,383 welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers across the United States. In Alabama alone, around 12,570 people work in this role. That’s higher than the typical state, which employs around 6,310 welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers.
Top Alabama Metros for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
The largest metro-area employers of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers in Alabama.
| Metro Area | Number Employed | Annual Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham, AL | 2,170 | $48,900 |
| Huntsville, AL | 1,940 | $42,670 |
| Mobile, AL | 1,570 | $61,150 |
| Montgomery, AL | 600 | $46,440 |
| Decatur, AL | 550 | $46,510 |
| Anniston-Oxford, AL | 420 | $57,510 |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | 350 | $49,320 |
| Dothan, AL | 310 | $44,100 |
| Auburn-Opelika, AL | 220 | $44,350 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | 200 | $46,390 |
| Gadsden, AL | 180 | $45,610 |
| Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | 160 | $42,950 |
Top States for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Employment
The table below shows the states where the most welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers work.
| State | Number Employed |
|---|---|
| Texas | 56,650 |
| California | 26,100 |
| Ohio | 20,110 |
| Illinois | 17,340 |
| Wisconsin | 16,820 |
| Florida | 16,390 |
| Pennsylvania | 16,060 |
| Georgia | 14,030 |
| Michigan | 13,640 |
| Indiana | 13,260 |
| Tennessee | 12,610 |
| Alabama | 12,570 |
| Louisiana | 12,360 |
| North Carolina | 12,020 |
| Virginia | 10,690 |
| Missouri | 10,270 |
| Oklahoma | 9,780 |
| Minnesota | 9,420 |
| Iowa | 9,250 |
| New York | 7,810 |
Highest-Paying States for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
These states pay the most for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers.
| 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 |
Skills
Key welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Important knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Abilities
Top abilities for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Daily Tasks
Day-to-day, welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers typically:
- 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.
- Prepare all material surfaces to be welded, ensuring that there is no loose or thick scale, slag, rust, moisture, grease, or other foreign matter.
- Align and clamp workpieces together, using rules, squares, or hand tools, or position items in fixtures, jigs, or vises.
- Connect and turn regulator valves to activate and adjust gas flow and pressure so that desired flames are obtained.
- Position and secure workpieces, using hoists, cranes, wire, and banding machines or hand tools.
Work Activities
- Getting Information
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Handling and Moving Objects
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
- Performing General Physical Activities
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Controlling Machines and Processes
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
- Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
Tools & Technology
Common tools and software used in this occupation include: Hot technologies: Microsoft Excel
What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?
Programs that train for this career include:
Related Careers
Careers similar to welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers include:
- Boilermakers
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers
- Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers
- Engine and Other Machine Assemblers
Also Known As
Acetylene Burner, Acetylene Cutter, Acetylene Operator, Acetylene Torch Burner, Acetylene Torch Operator, Acetylene Torch Solderer, Aluminum Welder, Arc Cutter, Arc Wedler, Arc Welder, Assembler Brazer, Assembly Line Brazer, Atomic Welder, Bar Welder, Barrel Ribs Solderer.
References
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
- BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- O*NET-SOC code: 51-4121.00
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