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The differences between maintenance welders and lead 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 maintenance welder and a lead welder. Additionally, a lead welder has an average salary of $45,718, which is higher than the $40,659 average annual salary of a maintenance welder.
The top three skills for a maintenance welder include MIG, arc welding and hand tools. The most important skills for a lead welder are aluminum, stainless steel, and safety equipment.
| Maintenance Welder | Lead Welder | |
| Yearly salary | $40,659 | $45,718 |
| Hourly rate | $19.55 | $21.98 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 78,332 | 8,274 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 35% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Maintenance Welder diagnoses and repairs a variety of metal work including construction vehicles and equipment. They cut, fit, and weld metal using gas and electric welding equipment.
A Lead Welder inspects welds to ensure that code and quality control standards are met. They also test and inspect welded surfaces and structures to discover flaws.
Maintenance welders and lead welders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Maintenance Welder | Lead Welder | |
| Average salary | $40,659 | $45,718 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $54,000 | Between $33,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | Renton, WA | - |
| Highest paying state | Washington | - |
| Best paying company | BNSF Railway | - |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | - |
There are a few differences between a maintenance welder and a lead welder in terms of educational background:
| Maintenance Welder | Lead Welder | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 35% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Most common major | Precision Metal Working | Precision Metal Working |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between maintenance welders' and lead welders' demographics:
| Maintenance Welder | Lead Welder | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.8% Female, 7.2% | Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.6% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |