Bridge welder vs structural welder

The differences between bridge welders and structural 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 structural welder. Additionally, a structural welder has an average salary of $42,868, 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 structural welder are SMAW, FCAW, and MIG.

Bridge welder vs structural welder overview

	Bridge Welder	Structural Welder
Yearly salary	$42,281	$42,868
Hourly rate	$20.33	$20.61
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,835	9,651
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 46%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Bridge welder vs structural welder salary

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

	Bridge Welder	Structural Welder
Average salary	$42,281	$42,868
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $56,000	Between $31,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	-	Philadelphia, PA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Turner Construction
Best paying industry	-	Construction

Differences between bridge welder and structural welder education

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

	Bridge Welder	Structural Welder
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 46%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Bridge welder vs structural welder demographics

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

	Bridge Welder	Structural Welder
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 98.3% Female, 1.7%	Male, 94.9% Female, 5.1%
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, 10.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 22.1% Asian, 2.6% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between bridge welder and structural 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.

Structural welder example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Fabricate and assemble small parts and components with the GMAW, SMAW, FCAW and aluminum weld process.
Bound structural as well as nonstructural parts by means of welding according to drawings using MIG and TIG welding of steel.
Weld, and fabricate pressure vessels using GMAW process.
Fix various stock trailers and other equipment that come in for repairs using FCAW, and GMAW.
Weld separately or in combination using aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, and other alloys.

Bridge welder vs structural welder skills

Common bridge welder skills

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

Common structural welder skills

SMAW, 9%
FCAW, 8%
MIG, 8%
Arc Welding, 8%
GMAW, 6%
Hand Tools, 5%