Maintenance welder vs welder operator

The differences between maintenance 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 maintenance welder and a welder operator. Additionally, a maintenance welder has an average salary of $40,659, which is higher than the $31,669 average annual salary of a welder operator.

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

Maintenance welder vs welder operator overview

	Maintenance Welder	Welder Operator
Yearly salary	$40,659	$31,669
Hourly rate	$19.55	$15.23
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	78,332	51,229
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	High School Diploma, 50%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Maintenance welder vs welder operator salary

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

	Maintenance Welder	Welder Operator
Average salary	$40,659	$31,669
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $54,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Renton, WA	Chicopee, MA
Highest paying state	Washington	Wyoming
Best paying company	BNSF Railway	Capco
Best paying industry	Automotive	Automotive

Differences between maintenance welder and welder operator education

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

	Maintenance Welder	Welder Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	High School Diploma, 50%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Maintenance welder vs welder operator demographics

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

	Maintenance Welder	Welder Operator
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 92.8% Female, 7.2%	Male, 85.6% Female, 14.4%
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, 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 maintenance welder and welder operator duties and responsibilities

Maintenance welder example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Experience in welding pressure tanks, stainless pipes and aluminum tanks using GMAW, FCAW, GTAW.
Perform rework utilizing SMAW and FCAW welding skills.
Perform TIG welding of stainless pipe and equipment repairs.
Certify students in weld processes SMAW, GMAW, GTAW.OAW, and both ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
Install duct work, blowers, dampers, flow boxes, and the structure the components set on.

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.

Maintenance welder vs welder operator skills

Common maintenance welder skills

MIG, 10%
Arc Welding, 8%
Hand Tools, 7%
GMAW, 7%
SMAW, 6%
GTAW, 5%

Common welder operator skills

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