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Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in North Dakota

Considering working as a Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in North Dakota? 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 North Dakota?

For welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers working in North Dakota, wages run about $60,270 per year (or about $28.98/hour).Pay can range from $45,510 at the 10th percentile to $83,080 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$45,510	$21.88
25th percentile	$51,100	$24.57
Median (50th)	$60,270	$28.98
75th percentile	$70,280	$33.79
90th percentile	$83,080	$39.94

The job concentration index in North Dakota relative to the national average — is 2.33, suggesting 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), higher than the North Dakota median.

Employment Outlook

There are roughly 231,383 welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers nationwide. In North Dakota alone, around 2,720 people work in this role. That trails the typical state, which employs around 6,310 welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers.

Top North Dakota Metros for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

The metro areas below employ the most welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers in North Dakota.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Fargo, ND-MN	690	$60,360
Bismarck, ND	330	$60,000
Grand Forks, ND-MN	150	$56,240
Minot, ND	80	$58,390

Top States for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Employment

These states have the highest employment of 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

The highest-paying states 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

Top welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Key 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?

Several college majors map to this occupation:

• Precision Metal Working
• Industrial Production Technology

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