Blaster vs shot blaster

The differences between blasters and shot blasters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a blaster and a shot blaster. Additionally, a shot blaster has an average salary of $48,815, which is higher than the $41,789 average annual salary of a blaster.

Blaster vs shot blaster overview

	Blaster	Shot Blaster
Yearly salary	$41,789	$48,815
Hourly rate	$20.09	$23.47
Growth rate	1%	4%
Number of jobs	219	203
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 78%
Average age	28	28
Years of experience	4	4

Blaster vs shot blaster salary

Blasters and shot blasters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Blaster	Shot Blaster
Average salary	$41,789	$48,815
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $67,000	Between $24,000 And $99,000
Highest paying City	Newport News, VA	-
Highest paying state	Virginia	-
Best paying company	Siemens	-
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between blaster and shot blaster education

There are a few differences between a blaster and a shot blaster in terms of educational background:

	Blaster	Shot Blaster
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 78%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Blaster vs shot blaster demographics

Here are the differences between blasters' and shot blasters' demographics:

	Blaster	Shot Blaster
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 95.3% Female, 4.7%	Male, 97.9% Female, 2.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 22.2% Asian, 1.1% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, -0.8%	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 1.0% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, -1.1%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between blaster and shot blaster duties and responsibilities

Blaster example responsibilities.

Blast rail freight cars with steel grit to achieve require blast profile per paint specifications or customer's request.
Blast paint off of aluminum wheels in cabinet.
Lead foreman - run pipe sandblasting crew on site at oil field refineries.
Operate bobcat, emulsion, truck, and other equipment necessary to blasting.
Transport sand and run a three man crew to keep things on a tight schedule.
Mentore and train international employees on policies and regulations regarding ammunition and explosives resulting in expanding foreign networking.

Shot blaster example responsibilities.

Blast rail freight cars with steel grit to achieve require blast profile per paint specifications or customer's request.
Deliver hands on training for current employees and new hires to increase awareness of and compliance with OSHA and state regulations.
Sandblast trailers, wash and clean trailers prep trailers for painting booth.

Blaster vs shot blaster skills

Common blaster skills

CDL, 25%
Hand Tools, 14%
ATF, 8%
Fall Protection, 6%
Blast Equipment, 6%
Grit, 5%

Common shot blaster skills

Blaster vs. similar jobs

Blaster related careers

Blaster related jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

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