Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between tig 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 tig welder and a lead welder. Additionally, a lead welder has an average salary of $45,718, 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 lead welder are aluminum, stainless steel, and safety equipment.
| TIG Welder | Lead Welder | |
| Yearly salary | $38,192 | $45,718 |
| Hourly rate | $18.36 | $21.98 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 7,053 | 8,274 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 42% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| 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.
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.
Tig welders and lead welders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| TIG Welder | Lead Welder | |
| Average salary | $38,192 | $45,718 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $49,000 | Between $33,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | Tualatin, OR | - |
| Highest paying state | Wyoming | - |
| Best paying company | Alfa Laval | - |
| Best paying industry | Retail | - |
There are a few differences between a tig welder and a lead welder in terms of educational background:
| TIG Welder | Lead Welder | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 42% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Most common major | Precision Metal Working | Precision Metal Working |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between tig welders' and lead welders' demographics:
| TIG Welder | Lead Welder | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% | Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1% |
| 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, 9.6% 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% |