Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between welder fitters 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 welder fitter and a tig welder. Additionally, a welder fitter has an average salary of $39,676, which is higher than the $38,192 average annual salary of a tig welder.
The top three skills for a welder fitter include MIG, hand tools and arc welding. The most important skills for a tig welder are tig welding, carbon steel, and GTAW.
| Welder Fitter | TIG Welder | |
| Yearly salary | $39,676 | $38,192 |
| Hourly rate | $19.07 | $18.36 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 8,022 | 7,053 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 43% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| 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.
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.
Welder fitters and tig welders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Welder Fitter | TIG Welder | |
| Average salary | $39,676 | $38,192 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $55,000 | Between $29,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Vancouver, WA | Tualatin, OR |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Wyoming |
| Best paying company | Jefferson Lab | Alfa Laval |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Retail |
There are a few differences between a welder fitter and a tig welder in terms of educational background:
| Welder Fitter | TIG Welder | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 43% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Most common major | Precision Metal Working | Precision Metal Working |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between welder fitters' and tig welders' demographics:
| Welder Fitter | TIG Welder | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.1% Female, 4.9% | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% |
| 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, 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% |