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The differences between tig welders and combination 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 tig welder and a combination welder. Additionally, a combination welder has an average salary of $45,432, which is higher than the $38,192 average annual salary of a tig welder.
The top three skills for a tig welder include tig welding, carbon steel and GTAW. The most important skills for a combination welder are arc welding, tack, and minor maintenance.
| TIG Welder | Combination Welder | |
| Yearly salary | $38,192 | $45,432 |
| Hourly rate | $18.36 | $21.84 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 7,053 | 7,117 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 42% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
Combination welders are the ones who prepare the welding materials to weld together metal components and maintain their equipment, such as a welding torch, grinder, or thermal cutters. They should know the various processes like oxy-fuel welding, arc welding, etc., to weld various metal components. Before starting their torches, they position the metals to stay in place using clamps. These welders work to fabricate or repair cracks, holes or increase the size of metal products like machine parts, plant equipment, automobiles, etc.
Tig welders and combination welders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| TIG Welder | Combination Welder | |
| Average salary | $38,192 | $45,432 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $49,000 | Between $32,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | Tualatin, OR | Bremerton, WA |
| Highest paying state | Wyoming | Wyoming |
| Best paying company | Alfa Laval | Maxum Enterprises, LLC |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Construction |
There are a few differences between a tig welder and a combination welder in terms of educational background:
| TIG Welder | Combination Welder | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 42% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Precision Metal Working | Precision Metal Working |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between tig welders' and combination welders' demographics:
| TIG Welder | Combination Welder | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% | Male, 96.7% Female, 3.3% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 24.3% Asian, 2.6% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |