Combination welder vs welder operator

The differences between combination welders and welder operators 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 operator. Additionally, a combination welder has an average salary of $45,432, which is higher than the $31,669 average annual salary of a welder operator.

The top three skills for a combination welder include arc welding, tack and minor maintenance. The most important skills for a welder operator are MIG, arc welding, and hand tools.

Combination welder vs welder operator overview

	Combination Welder	Welder Operator
Yearly salary	$45,432	$31,669
Hourly rate	$21.84	$15.23
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,117	51,229
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 50%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Combination welder vs welder operator salary

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

	Combination Welder	Welder Operator
Average salary	$45,432	$31,669
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $62,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Bremerton, WA	Chicopee, MA
Highest paying state	Wyoming	Wyoming
Best paying company	Maxum Enterprises, LLC	Capco
Best paying industry	Construction	Automotive

Differences between combination welder and welder operator education

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

	Combination Welder	Welder Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 50%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Combination welder vs welder operator demographics

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

	Combination Welder	Welder Operator
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 96.7% Female, 3.3%	Male, 85.6% Female, 14.4%
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, 10.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between combination welder and welder operator 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 operator example responsibilities.

Manage aluminum structural/pipe fabrication turnaround: cross-country CGIT/IPB megawatt electrical power conductors.
Weld carbon steel pipes using GTAW and SMAW.
Weld with (GMAW) on aluminum.
Maintain certifications in SMAW, GMAW, and GTAW.
Perform TIG and MIG welding processes on fabrications according to the blueprints specifications.
Weld heavy industrial clamps together using the MIG and TIG process on AR400 grade steel.

Combination welder vs welder operator skills

Common combination welder skills

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

Common welder operator skills

MIG, 12%
Arc Welding, 9%
Hand Tools, 8%
Safety Equipment, 7%
Tig Welding, 6%
GMAW, 5%