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The differences between structural welders and tig 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 tig welder. Additionally, a structural welder has an average salary of $42,868, which is higher than the $38,192 average annual salary of a tig welder.
The top three skills for a structural welder include SMAW, FCAW and MIG. The most important skills for a tig welder are tig welding, carbon steel, and GTAW.
| Structural Welder | TIG Welder | |
| Yearly salary | $42,868 | $38,192 |
| Hourly rate | $20.61 | $18.36 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 9,651 | 7,053 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 46% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| 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 tungsten inert gas (TIG) welder is someone who assembles and welds metal parts for use in manufacturing or construction projects. The duties and responsibilities of a TIG welder include ensuring the quality of metal parts before assembling them, reading and interpreting blueprints, and observing safety procedures. The requirements to qualify for the position include knowledge of metallurgy, good hand-eye coordination, and good mathematical skills. A high school diploma or General Education Development (GED) certification is the minimum education requirement for the job.
Structural welders and tig welders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Structural Welder | TIG Welder | |
| Average salary | $42,868 | $38,192 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $58,000 | Between $29,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Philadelphia, PA | Tualatin, OR |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Wyoming |
| Best paying company | Turner Construction | Alfa Laval |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Retail |
There are a few differences between a structural welder and a tig welder in terms of educational background:
| Structural Welder | TIG Welder | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 46% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Most common major | Precision Metal Working | Precision Metal Working |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between structural welders' and tig welders' demographics:
| Structural Welder | TIG Welder | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.9% Female, 5.1% | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% |
| 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, 9.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 2.9% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |