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The differences between welder fitters and ship fitters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a welder fitter and a ship fitter. Additionally, a ship fitter has an average salary of $45,247, which is higher than the $39,676 average annual salary of a welder fitter.
The top three skills for a welder fitter include MIG, hand tools and arc welding. The most important skills for a ship fitter are hand tools, tack-weld, and tack welding.
| Welder Fitter | Ship Fitter | |
| Yearly salary | $39,676 | $45,247 |
| Hourly rate | $19.07 | $21.75 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 8,022 | 9,742 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 43% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Welder Fitter specializes in manipulating steel, aluminum, and other materials into various industries' structural forms. The majority of a welder's responsibilities are mostly manual work, which can have risks as they use torches or lasers for their daily tasks, and there are also instances when they have to climb high structures. Furthermore, a Welder Fitter must have keen attention to detail and communication skills as they must coordinate with fellow workers most of the time.
Ship fitters are civilian or enlisted people who work on materials like high yield strength steel and high-tensile steel. These people fabricate, assemble, and build structural parts of ships. They are the ones who coordinate a fixed tank working on ships and submarines, as well as the sonar dome work. They serve as part of a team composing shipbuilders. It is their duty to lead and assist in welding copper, PVC, flange piping, and steel. They should also refurbish the older rigs with advanced technologies.
Welder fitters and ship fitters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Welder Fitter | Ship Fitter | |
| Average salary | $39,676 | $45,247 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $55,000 | Between $31,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | Vancouver, WA | Mount Laurel, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Jefferson Lab | BWX Technologies |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between a welder fitter and a ship fitter in terms of educational background:
| Welder Fitter | Ship Fitter | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 43% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Most common major | Precision Metal Working | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between welder fitters' and ship fitters' demographics:
| Welder Fitter | Ship Fitter | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.1% Female, 4.9% | Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |