Bridge welder vs welder fitter

The differences between bridge welders and welder 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 welder fitter. Additionally, a bridge welder has an average salary of $42,281, which is higher than the $39,676 average annual salary of a welder fitter.

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

Bridge welder vs welder fitter overview

	Bridge Welder	Welder Fitter
Yearly salary	$42,281	$39,676
Hourly rate	$20.33	$19.07
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,835	8,022
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 43%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Bridge welder vs welder fitter salary

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

	Bridge Welder	Welder Fitter
Average salary	$42,281	$39,676
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $56,000	Between $28,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	-	Vancouver, WA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Jefferson Lab
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between bridge welder and welder fitter education

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

	Bridge Welder	Welder Fitter
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 43%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Bridge welder vs welder fitter demographics

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

	Bridge Welder	Welder Fitter
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 98.3% Female, 1.7%	Male, 95.1% Female, 4.9%
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, 10.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between bridge welder and welder 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.

Welder fitter example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Align parts in relation to each other, using jacks, turnbuckles, clips, wedges, and mauls.
Align and fit according to specifications using jacks, turnbuckles, wedges, drift pins, pry bars and hammers.
Weld and fit per drawing: GTAW aluminum, stainless, steel, and copper-nickel pipe.
Fabricate parts and equipment using GTAW process on thin metals such as aluminum & other precious metals.
Manufacture mobile home frames using fixtures, heat beam for a perfect chamber while applying welding procedures of SMAW and GMAW.

Bridge welder vs welder fitter skills

Common bridge welder skills

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

Common welder fitter skills

MIG, 13%
Hand Tools, 7%
Arc Welding, 5%
GMAW, 5%
Aluminum, 5%
Stainless Steel, 5%