Steel welder vs welder helper

The differences between steel welders and welder helpers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a steel welder and a welder helper. Additionally, a steel welder has an average salary of $36,139, which is higher than the $29,684 average annual salary of a welder helper.

The top three skills for a steel welder include MIG, arc welding and aluminum. The most important skills for a welder helper are grind welds, MIG, and grinders.

Steel welder vs welder helper overview

	Steel Welder	Welder Helper
Yearly salary	$36,139	$29,684
Hourly rate	$17.37	$14.27
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,242	21,605
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 60%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Steel welder vs welder helper salary

Steel welders and welder helpers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Steel Welder	Welder Helper
Average salary	$36,139	$29,684
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $46,000	Between $22,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Bremerton, WA	Bakersfield, CA
Highest paying state	Wyoming	Wyoming
Best paying company	GPAC	Kiewit
Best paying industry	Automotive	Construction

Differences between steel welder and welder helper education

There are a few differences between a steel welder and a welder helper in terms of educational background:

	Steel Welder	Welder Helper
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 60%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Steel welder vs welder helper demographics

Here are the differences between steel welders' and welder helpers' demographics:

	Steel Welder	Welder Helper
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 96.0% Female, 4.0%	Male, 92.1% Female, 7.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 2.9% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 26.0% Asian, 2.5% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between steel welder and welder helper duties and responsibilities

Steel welder example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Gas cutting, brazing, layout work, blueprint reading.
Operate brake press, drill press, and punch press in order to efficiently bend steel & aluminum.
Perform MIG and stick welds and erecting structural steel utilize for building skeletons including specific/ detail measurements for accuracy.
Blue print reading for all WPS orders.

Welder helper example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Weld structural material including carbon steel and stainless steel using SMAW, and MIG processes.
Perform welder duties using SMAW, PAC, GMAW, oxy-fuel cutting, and GTAW processes.
Work on vessels welding using SMAW and FCAW
Can also Tig weld and use the process FCAW
Perform welder helper duties using electric, oxyacetylene, MIG and TIG welding processes.

Steel welder vs welder helper skills

Common steel welder skills

MIG, 15%
Arc Welding, 10%
Aluminum, 9%
GMAW, 6%
FCAW, 6%
Hand Tools, 6%

Common welder helper skills

Grind Welds, 10%
MIG, 9%
Grinders, 9%
Safety Equipment, 7%
Arc Welding, 7%
GMAW, 6%