Lead welder vs spot welder

The differences between lead welders and spot welders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a lead welder and a spot welder. Additionally, a lead welder has an average salary of $45,718, which is higher than the $32,277 average annual salary of a spot welder.

The top three skills for a lead welder include aluminum, stainless steel and safety equipment. The most important skills for a spot welder are spot welding, spot welders, and quality standards.

Lead welder vs spot welder overview

	Lead Welder	Spot Welder
Yearly salary	$45,718	$32,277
Hourly rate	$21.98	$15.52
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	8,274	8,126
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Lead welder vs spot welder salary

Lead welders and spot welders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Lead Welder	Spot Welder
Average salary	$45,718	$32,277
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $62,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	-	Fridley, MN
Highest paying state	-	Wyoming
Best paying company	-	General Electric
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between lead welder and spot welder education

There are a few differences between a lead welder and a spot welder in terms of educational background:

	Lead Welder	Spot Welder
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Business
Most common college	-	-

Lead welder vs spot welder demographics

Here are the differences between lead welders' and spot welders' demographics:

	Lead Welder	Spot Welder
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1%	Male, 69.2% Female, 30.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 2.9% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 2.8% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between lead welder and spot welder duties and responsibilities

Lead welder example responsibilities.

Create weekly work schedules, process payroll information, manage inventory counts and job cost for each project.
Certify in restaurant grade stainless steel and aluminum TIG welding, carbon stick welding and stainless and carbon MIG welding.
Weld with solid wire (GMAW), flux core (FCAW) and stick (SMAW).
Used MIG and TIG welding to fit electrical and mechanical components.
Execute daily operations of MIG, and TIG welding, and rework welding.
Develop and record documentation for PQR's and WPS's.

Spot welder example responsibilities.

Operate a laser CNC fabricator, press brake and occasionally TIG and MIG welding equipment.
Set up and operate CNC, mechanical, and hydraulic press brake.
Operate CNC punch and CNC shearer.
Spot welder, MIG welder, line assembly, metal repair and final line inspector.
Weld metal wires together in jigs to make magazine racks, cages and various products.
Used hoists, microscopes, calipers, ban see, and hand hold and bench grinders.

Lead welder vs spot welder skills

Common lead welder skills

Aluminum, 7%
Stainless Steel, 7%
Safety Equipment, 6%
Blueprint Specifications, 5%
GMAW, 5%
Tig Welding, 5%

Common spot welder skills

Spot Welding, 35%
Spot Welders, 6%
Quality Standards, 5%
Assembly Line, 5%
MIG, 5%
Safety Equipment, 4%