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The differences between structural 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 structural welder and a lead welder. Additionally, a lead welder has an average salary of $45,718, which is higher than the $42,868 average annual salary of a structural welder.
The top three skills for a structural welder include SMAW, FCAW and MIG. The most important skills for a lead welder are aluminum, stainless steel, and safety equipment.
| Structural Welder | Lead Welder | |
| Yearly salary | $42,868 | $45,718 |
| Hourly rate | $20.61 | $21.98 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 9,651 | 8,274 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 46% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The job of structural welders is to design, layout, and fabricate the metal framework for industrial and commercial buildings. They work for a wide variety of industries, including manufacturing, shipbuilding, and construction. Their duties and responsibilities include testing welding and safety equipment, cutting, assembling, repairing building components such as girders and beams, and checking for gap and angle allowances. They either use manual or automated equipment to perform some of these tasks, such as power saws for cutting metals. Structural welders are also responsible for assessing the condition of the equipment.
A Lead Welder inspects welds to ensure that code and quality control standards are met. They also test and inspect welded surfaces and structures to discover flaws.
Structural welders and lead welders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Structural Welder | Lead Welder | |
| Average salary | $42,868 | $45,718 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $58,000 | Between $33,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | Philadelphia, PA | - |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | - |
| Best paying company | Turner Construction | - |
| Best paying industry | Construction | - |
There are a few differences between a structural welder and a lead welder in terms of educational background:
| Structural Welder | Lead Welder | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 46% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Most common major | Precision Metal Working | Precision Metal Working |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between structural welders' and lead welders' demographics:
| Structural Welder | Lead Welder | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.9% Female, 5.1% | Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 22.1% Asian, 2.6% White, 59.6% 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% |