Welder-assembler vs fabricator

The differences between welder-assemblers and fabricators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a fabricator has an average salary of $34,922, which is higher than the $33,580 average annual salary of a welder-assembler.

The top three skills for a welder-assembler include MIG, blueprint specifications and aluminum. The most important skills for a fabricator are hand tools, basic math, and calipers.

Welder-assembler vs fabricator overview

	Welder-Assembler	Fabricator
Yearly salary	$33,580	$34,922
Hourly rate	$16.14	$16.79
Growth rate	2%	-1%
Number of jobs	26,070	7,772
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	40	44
Years of experience	4	-

Welder-assembler vs fabricator salary

Welder-assemblers and fabricators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Welder-Assembler	Fabricator
Average salary	$33,580	$34,922
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $43,000	Between $27,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	-	Las Vegas, NV
Highest paying state	-	Nevada
Best paying company	-	Danaher
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between welder-assembler and fabricator education

There are a few differences between a welder-assembler and a fabricator in terms of educational background:

	Welder-Assembler	Fabricator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Welder-assembler vs fabricator demographics

Here are the differences between welder-assemblers' and fabricators' demographics:

	Welder-Assembler	Fabricator
Average age	40	44
Gender ratio	Male, 86.9% Female, 13.1%	Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 2.7% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 8.1% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	5%

Differences between welder-assembler and fabricator duties and responsibilities

Welder-assembler example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Perform welding duties with GMAW, to weld shoot beads on mild steel.
Start on CNC machine operator, to head welding/assembly.
Operate welding machines, soldering machines and brazing machines.
Weld aircraft parts, inspect parts, assemble parts for furnace brazing.
Cut various pieces out of stock using band saws, torches, and plasma cutters.

Fabricator example responsibilities.

Finish weld using SMAW, GMAW, FCAW, GTAW as required.
Gain experience in tig and arc welding, as well as cleaning welds.
Design, manufacture, and assemble plastic products through one of a number of methods such as molding and extrusion.
Operate equipment and power tools, including arc welding and gas welding equipment, grinders, sanders, lathes and saws.
Master the use of an array of tools including but not limit to power saws, grinders, polishers, etc.
Certify in SMAW, GMAW.

Welder-assembler vs fabricator skills

Common welder-assembler skills

MIG, 17%
Blueprint Specifications, 7%
Aluminum, 7%
Stainless Steel, 6%
Safety Equipment, 5%
Tig Welding, 4%

Common fabricator skills

Hand Tools, 10%
Basic Math, 8%
Calipers, 8%
Math, 7%
Tape Measure, 6%
CNC, 5%