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The differences between combination 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 combination welder and a welder fitter. Additionally, a combination welder has an average salary of $45,432, which is higher than the $39,676 average annual salary of a welder fitter.
The top three skills for a combination welder include arc welding, tack and minor maintenance. The most important skills for a welder fitter are MIG, hand tools, and arc welding.
| Combination Welder | Welder Fitter | |
| Yearly salary | $45,432 | $39,676 |
| Hourly rate | $21.84 | $19.07 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 7,117 | 8,022 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | High School Diploma, 43% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Combination welders are the ones who prepare the welding materials to weld together metal components and maintain their equipment, such as a welding torch, grinder, or thermal cutters. They should know the various processes like oxy-fuel welding, arc welding, etc., to weld various metal components. Before starting their torches, they position the metals to stay in place using clamps. These welders work to fabricate or repair cracks, holes or increase the size of metal products like machine parts, plant equipment, automobiles, etc.
A Welder Fitter specializes in manipulating steel, aluminum, and other materials into various industries' structural forms. The majority of a welder's responsibilities are mostly manual work, which can have risks as they use torches or lasers for their daily tasks, and there are also instances when they have to climb high structures. Furthermore, a Welder Fitter must have keen attention to detail and communication skills as they must coordinate with fellow workers most of the time.
Combination welders and welder fitters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Combination Welder | Welder Fitter | |
| Average salary | $45,432 | $39,676 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $62,000 | Between $28,000 And $55,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bremerton, WA | Vancouver, WA |
| Highest paying state | Wyoming | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Maxum Enterprises, LLC | Jefferson Lab |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Energy |
There are a few differences between a combination welder and a welder fitter in terms of educational background:
| Combination Welder | Welder Fitter | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | High School Diploma, 43% |
| Most common major | Precision Metal Working | Precision Metal Working |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between combination welders' and welder fitters' demographics:
| Combination Welder | Welder Fitter | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.7% Female, 3.3% | Male, 95.1% Female, 4.9% |
| 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, 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% |