Industrial welder vs machinist

The differences between industrial welders and machinists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an industrial welder and a machinist. Additionally, an industrial welder has an average salary of $45,427, which is higher than the $42,147 average annual salary of a machinist.

The top three skills for an industrial welder include MIG, arc welding and stainless steel. The most important skills for a machinist are grinders, cnc machines, and micrometers.

Industrial welder vs machinist overview

	Industrial Welder	Machinist
Yearly salary	$45,427	$42,147
Hourly rate	$21.84	$20.26
Growth rate	2%	1%
Number of jobs	15,589	15,448
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	40	48
Years of experience	4	4

Industrial welder vs machinist salary

Industrial welders and machinists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Industrial Welder	Machinist
Average salary	$45,427	$42,147
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $61,000	Between $29,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City	-	Eugene, OR
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Westinghouse Appliances Australia
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between industrial welder and machinist education

There are a few differences between an industrial welder and a machinist in terms of educational background:

	Industrial Welder	Machinist
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Industrial welder vs machinist demographics

Here are the differences between industrial welders' and machinists' demographics:

	Industrial Welder	Machinist
Average age	40	48
Gender ratio	Male, 93.4% Female, 6.6%	Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 3.0% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%	Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 6.7% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between industrial welder and machinist duties and responsibilities

Industrial welder example responsibilities.

Cut metal using acetylene and plasma torches.
Gain experience with materials ranging from PVC to hastelloy.
Perform MIG and stick welds and erecting structural steel utilize for building skeletons including specific/ detail measurements for accuracy.
Weld taillights in a machine vibrating welder for car companies such as Hyundai and Chrysler!

Machinist example responsibilities.

Manage output according to company quality standards and corresponding ISO certification.
Measure parts using micrometers, calipers, bore gauges, depth gauges, height gauges and CMM programs.
Utilize CNC lathes, mills, grinders, EDM s and other equipment to manufacture implants and/or instruments.
Operate manual machines such as engine lathe, boring mill, vertical and horizontal milling machines, grinders and honing machines.
Emphasize the ability to use dial calipers and micrometers to provide consistent repeatable measurements.
Operate manual/CNC lathes and used industry standard measuring equipment including manual/digital calipers, manual/digital micrometers and optical comparators

Industrial welder vs machinist skills

Common industrial welder skills

MIG, 20%
Arc Welding, 14%
Stainless Steel, 10%
Jigs, 9%
Spot Welding, 9%
GMAW, 6%

Common machinist skills

Grinders, 9%
CNC Machines, 9%
Micrometers, 8%
Calipers, 8%
Machine Shop, 6%
CNC Lathes, 6%