Bridge welder vs maintenance welder

The differences between bridge welders and maintenance welders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a bridge welder and a maintenance welder. Additionally, a bridge welder has an average salary of $42,281, which is higher than the $40,659 average annual salary of a maintenance welder.

The top three skills for a bridge welder include AWS, arc welding and DOT. The most important skills for a maintenance welder are MIG, arc welding, and hand tools.

Bridge welder vs maintenance welder overview

	Bridge Welder	Maintenance Welder
Yearly salary	$42,281	$40,659
Hourly rate	$20.33	$19.55
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,835	78,332
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 35%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Bridge welder vs maintenance welder salary

Bridge welders and maintenance welders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bridge Welder	Maintenance Welder
Average salary	$42,281	$40,659
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $56,000	Between $30,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	-	Renton, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	BNSF Railway
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between bridge welder and maintenance welder education

There are a few differences between a bridge welder and a maintenance welder in terms of educational background:

	Bridge Welder	Maintenance Welder
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 35%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Bridge welder vs maintenance welder demographics

Here are the differences between bridge welders' and maintenance welders' demographics:

	Bridge Welder	Maintenance Welder
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 98.3% Female, 1.7%	Male, 92.8% Female, 7.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.6% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between bridge welder and maintenance welder duties and responsibilities

Bridge welder example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
use of cutting torches when need.
Operate various forms of welding machines to include FCAW, GTAW, SMAW as well as oxy-acetylene torches.
Weld mainly stick, but includes MIG and TIG.
Operate CNC drilling machines as needed.
Perform MIG and stick welds and erecting structural steel utilize for building skeletons including specific/ detail measurements for accuracy.

Maintenance welder example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Experience in welding pressure tanks, stainless pipes and aluminum tanks using GMAW, FCAW, GTAW.
Perform rework utilizing SMAW and FCAW welding skills.
Perform TIG welding of stainless pipe and equipment repairs.
Certify students in weld processes SMAW, GMAW, GTAW.OAW, and both ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
Install duct work, blowers, dampers, flow boxes, and the structure the components set on.

Bridge welder vs maintenance welder skills

Common bridge welder skills

AWS, 64%
Arc Welding, 13%
DOT, 10%
Torches, 8%
SMAW, 5%

Common maintenance welder skills

MIG, 10%
Arc Welding, 8%
Hand Tools, 7%
GMAW, 7%
SMAW, 6%
GTAW, 5%