Body welder vs welder operator

The differences between body welders and welder operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a body welder and a welder operator. Additionally, a body welder has an average salary of $32,146, which is higher than the $31,669 average annual salary of a welder operator.

The top three skills for a body welder include assembly line, toyota and quality inspection. The most important skills for a welder operator are MIG, arc welding, and hand tools.

Body welder vs welder operator overview

	Body Welder	Welder Operator
Yearly salary	$32,146	$31,669
Hourly rate	$15.45	$15.23
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	11,289	51,229
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 50%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Body welder vs welder operator salary

Body welders and welder operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Body Welder	Welder Operator
Average salary	$32,146	$31,669
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $41,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	-	Chicopee, MA
Highest paying state	-	Wyoming
Best paying company	-	Capco
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between body welder and welder operator education

There are a few differences between a body welder and a welder operator in terms of educational background:

	Body Welder	Welder Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 50%
Most common major	Business	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Body welder vs welder operator demographics

Here are the differences between body welders' and welder operators' demographics:

	Body Welder	Welder Operator
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1%	Male, 85.6% Female, 14.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 3.4% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between body welder and welder operator duties and responsibilities

Body welder example responsibilities.

Perform preventive maintenance, electronic robotic operation, pneumatic system operation, and initial quality control.
Recommend and implement cost reductive measures on the Tacoma front door and hood shell-body weld jig designs.
Use a power tugger to move parts to other departments.
Perform preventive maintenance, electronic robotic operation, pneumatic system operation, and initial quality control.

Welder operator example responsibilities.

Manage aluminum structural/pipe fabrication turnaround: cross-country CGIT/IPB megawatt electrical power conductors.
Weld carbon steel pipes using GTAW and SMAW.
Weld with (GMAW) on aluminum.
Maintain certifications in SMAW, GMAW, and GTAW.
Perform TIG and MIG welding processes on fabrications according to the blueprints specifications.
Weld heavy industrial clamps together using the MIG and TIG process on AR400 grade steel.

Body welder vs welder operator skills

Common body welder skills

Assembly Line, 29%
Toyota, 20%
Quality Inspection, 17%
Quality Checks, 16%
Hand Tools, 10%
Jigs, 7%

Common welder operator skills

MIG, 12%
Arc Welding, 9%
Hand Tools, 8%
Safety Equipment, 7%
Tig Welding, 6%
GMAW, 5%