Second class welder vs lead welder

The differences between second class 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 second class welder and a lead welder. Additionally, a second class welder has an average salary of $45,861, which is higher than the $45,718 average annual salary of a lead welder.

The top three skills for a second class welder include tig welding, MIG and TIG. The most important skills for a lead welder are aluminum, stainless steel, and safety equipment.

Second class welder vs lead welder overview

	Second Class Welder	Lead Welder
Yearly salary	$45,861	$45,718
Hourly rate	$22.05	$21.98
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	35,166	8,274
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 39%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Second class welder vs lead welder salary

Second class welders and lead welders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Second Class Welder	Lead Welder
Average salary	$45,861	$45,718
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $62,000	Between $33,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between second class welder and lead welder education

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

	Second Class Welder	Lead Welder
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 39%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Second class welder vs lead welder demographics

Here are the differences between second class welders' and lead welders' demographics:

	Second Class Welder	Lead Welder
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 80.9% Female, 19.1%	Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.3% 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%

Differences between second class welder and lead welder duties and responsibilities

Second class welder example responsibilities.

Read blueprints and build sections of the JHSV and LCS from those blueprints.
Learned to weld using torches, gouging aluminum welding & steel welding.
Receive training in safety protection, such as use of respirators, confine spaces, condo and scissor lifts.
Maintain individual and subordinates combat readiness.
Repair and maintain equipment critical to combat operations and damage control.
Perform MIG and stick welds and erecting structural steel utilize for building skeletons including specific/ detail measurements for accuracy.

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.

Second class welder vs lead welder skills

Common second class welder skills

Tig Welding, 58%
MIG, 19%
TIG, 19%
Combat, 4%

Common lead welder skills

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