Bridge welder vs ship fitter

The differences between bridge welders and ship fitters 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 ship fitter. Additionally, a ship fitter has an average salary of $45,247, which is higher than the $42,281 average annual salary of a bridge welder.

The top three skills for a bridge welder include AWS, arc welding and DOT. The most important skills for a ship fitter are hand tools, tack-weld, and tack welding.

Bridge welder vs ship fitter overview

	Bridge Welder	Ship Fitter
Yearly salary	$42,281	$45,247
Hourly rate	$20.33	$21.75
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,835	9,742
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Bridge welder vs ship fitter salary

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

	Bridge Welder	Ship Fitter
Average salary	$42,281	$45,247
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $56,000	Between $31,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	-	Mount Laurel, NJ
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	BWX Technologies
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between bridge welder and ship fitter education

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

	Bridge Welder	Ship Fitter
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Business
Most common college	-	-

Bridge welder vs ship fitter demographics

Here are the differences between bridge welders' and ship fitters' demographics:

	Bridge Welder	Ship Fitter
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 98.3% Female, 1.7%	Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3%
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, 10.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between bridge welder and ship fitter 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.

Ship fitter example responsibilities.

Achieve x-ray certification on aluminum using MIG process.
Lead and assist in executing pipefitting/welding of steel, copper, PVC, and flange piping.
Cut materials with various tools including torches, reciprocating saws, grinders and plasma cutters to ensure exact measurements.
Work includes using torches, grinders and other power tools to cut material to size and prep to weld and paint.
Assemble hoisting and rigging equipment.
Repair and re-fit oil rig platforms.

Bridge welder vs ship fitter skills

Common bridge welder skills

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

Common ship fitter skills

Hand Tools, 14%
Tack-Weld, 10%
Tack Welding, 7%
Tape Measure, 6%
Cranes, 6%
Safety Rules, 5%