Lead welder vs welder-assembler

The differences between lead 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 lead welder and a welder-assembler. Additionally, a lead welder has an average salary of $45,718, which is higher than the $33,580 average annual salary of a welder-assembler.

The top three skills for a lead welder include aluminum, stainless steel and safety equipment. The most important skills for a welder-assembler are MIG, blueprint specifications, and aluminum.

Lead welder vs welder-assembler overview

	Lead Welder	Welder-Assembler
Yearly salary	$45,718	$33,580
Hourly rate	$21.98	$16.14
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	8,274	26,070
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	High School Diploma, 48%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Lead welder vs welder-assembler salary

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

	Lead Welder	Welder-Assembler
Average salary	$45,718	$33,580
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $62,000	Between $26,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between lead welder and welder-assembler education

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

	Lead Welder	Welder-Assembler
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	High School Diploma, 48%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Lead welder vs welder-assembler demographics

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

	Lead Welder	Welder-Assembler
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1%	Male, 86.9% Female, 13.1%
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, 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 lead welder and welder-assembler 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.

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.

Lead welder vs welder-assembler skills

Common lead welder skills

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

Common welder-assembler skills

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