Second class welder vs maintenance welder

The differences between second class welders and maintenance 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 maintenance welder. Additionally, a second class welder has an average salary of $45,861, which is higher than the $40,659 average annual salary of a maintenance welder.

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

Second class welder vs maintenance welder overview

	Second Class Welder	Maintenance Welder
Yearly salary	$45,861	$40,659
Hourly rate	$22.05	$19.55
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	35,166	78,332
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 35%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Second class welder vs maintenance welder salary

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

	Second Class Welder	Maintenance Welder
Average salary	$45,861	$40,659
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $62,000	Between $30,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	-	Renton, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	BNSF Railway
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between second class welder and maintenance welder education

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

	Second Class Welder	Maintenance Welder
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 35%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Second class welder vs maintenance welder demographics

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

	Second Class Welder	Maintenance Welder
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 80.9% Female, 19.1%	Male, 92.8% Female, 7.2%
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, 10.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.6% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between second class welder and maintenance 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.

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.

Second class welder vs maintenance welder skills

Common second class welder skills

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

Common maintenance welder skills

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

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Second Class Welder
Second Class Welder vs Maintenance Welder

Updated January 8, 2025

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