Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between ship joiners and ship fitters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a ship joiner, becoming a ship fitter takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a ship fitter has an average salary of $45,247, which is higher than the $35,942 average annual salary of a ship joiner.
The top three skills for a ship joiner include OSHA, shop drawings and plumbing. The most important skills for a ship fitter are hand tools, tack-weld, and tack welding.
| Ship Joiner | Ship Fitter | |
| Yearly salary | $35,942 | $45,247 |
| Hourly rate | $17.28 | $21.75 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 6,725 | 9,742 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Average age | 42 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
A ship joiner is responsible for handling heavy physical operations within a ship's restricted area, operating various tools and equipment, and transporting loads with different dimensions. Ship joiners maintain the efficiency and performance of the engines during operations, scheduling regular maintenance to avoid delays and hazards in the premises. They ensure the cleanliness and orderliness of the area, as well as maintaining the inventories for ship repairs and installations. A ship joiner must have excellent organizational skills, especially the ability to multitask in demanding conditions.
Ship fitters are civilian or enlisted people who work on materials like high yield strength steel and high-tensile steel. These people fabricate, assemble, and build structural parts of ships. They are the ones who coordinate a fixed tank working on ships and submarines, as well as the sonar dome work. They serve as part of a team composing shipbuilders. It is their duty to lead and assist in welding copper, PVC, flange piping, and steel. They should also refurbish the older rigs with advanced technologies.
Ship joiners and ship fitters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Ship Joiner | Ship Fitter | |
| Average salary | $35,942 | $45,247 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $54,000 | Between $31,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Mount Laurel, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Workday | BWX Technologies |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between a ship joiner and a ship fitter in terms of educational background:
| Ship Joiner | Ship Fitter | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between ship joiners' and ship fitters' demographics:
| Ship Joiner | Ship Fitter | |
| Average age | 42 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.8% Female, 16.2% | Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 23.1% Asian, 1.6% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 3% |