Combination welder vs welder-assembler

The differences between combination welders and welder-assemblers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a combination welder and a welder-assembler. Additionally, a combination welder has an average salary of $45,432, which is higher than the $33,580 average annual salary of a welder-assembler.

The top three skills for a combination welder include arc welding, tack and minor maintenance. The most important skills for a welder-assembler are MIG, blueprint specifications, and aluminum.

Combination welder vs welder-assembler overview

	Combination Welder	Welder-Assembler
Yearly salary	$45,432	$33,580
Hourly rate	$21.84	$16.14
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,117	26,070
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 48%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Combination welder vs welder-assembler salary

Combination welders and welder-assemblers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Combination Welder	Welder-Assembler
Average salary	$45,432	$33,580
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $62,000	Between $26,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Bremerton, WA	-
Highest paying state	Wyoming	-
Best paying company	Maxum Enterprises, LLC	-
Best paying industry	Construction	-

Differences between combination welder and welder-assembler education

There are a few differences between a combination welder and a welder-assembler in terms of educational background:

	Combination Welder	Welder-Assembler
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 48%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Combination welder vs welder-assembler demographics

Here are the differences between combination welders' and welder-assemblers' demographics:

	Combination Welder	Welder-Assembler
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 96.7% Female, 3.3%	Male, 86.9% Female, 13.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 24.3% Asian, 2.6% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 2.7% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between combination welder and welder-assembler duties and responsibilities

Combination welder example responsibilities.

Fitter-Qualify in SMAW, FCAW, GMAW, as per AWS D1.1.
Repair wrecked tank cars using plasma, torches, welders, and air arc.
Fabricate numerous shop projects using all processes in variety of positions on carbon, aluminum, and stainless.
Assist lead welder in various welding, brazing, grinding, thermal, gouging, and arc cutting operations.
Can position pieces to weld into jigs, holding fixtures, guides and steps using measuring instruments and hand tools.
Assemble or secure pipes, tubes, fittings, specifications, by welding, brazing, soldering, or threading joints.

Welder-assembler example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Perform welding duties with GMAW, to weld shoot beads on mild steel.
Start on CNC machine operator, to head welding/assembly.
Operate welding machines, soldering machines and brazing machines.
Weld aircraft parts, inspect parts, assemble parts for furnace brazing.
Cut various pieces out of stock using band saws, torches, and plasma cutters.

Combination welder vs welder-assembler skills

Common combination welder skills

Arc Welding, 14%
Tack, 10%
Minor Maintenance, 7%
MIG, 6%
Gmaw Welding, 5%
Engineering Drawings, 4%

Common welder-assembler skills

MIG, 17%
Blueprint Specifications, 7%
Aluminum, 7%
Stainless Steel, 6%
Safety Equipment, 5%
Tig Welding, 4%