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The differences between welder helpers 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 welder helper and a combination welder. Additionally, a combination welder has an average salary of $45,432, which is higher than the $29,684 average annual salary of a welder helper.
The top three skills for a welder helper include grind welds, MIG and grinders. The most important skills for a combination welder are arc welding, tack, and minor maintenance.
| Welder Helper | Combination Welder | |
| Yearly salary | $29,684 | $45,432 |
| Hourly rate | $14.27 | $21.84 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 21,605 | 7,117 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 60% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A welder helper's role is to perform support tasks for lead welders at a construction site or similar setting. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around setting up and preparing rigs, operating devices and tools, maintaining the workspace's cleanliness, and following orders from lead welders. There may also be instances where a welder helper must pre-heat materials, lift heavy objects, participate in loading and unloading packages, and ensure that the welders are equipped with the necessary tools. Furthermore, it is essential to coordinate with managers and adhere to the site's safety regulations and policies.
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.
Welder helpers and combination welders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Welder Helper | Combination Welder | |
| Average salary | $29,684 | $45,432 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $38,000 | Between $32,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bakersfield, CA | Bremerton, WA |
| Highest paying state | Wyoming | Wyoming |
| Best paying company | Kiewit | Maxum Enterprises, LLC |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Construction |
There are a few differences between a welder helper and a combination welder in terms of educational background:
| Welder Helper | Combination Welder | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 60% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Precision Metal Working | Precision Metal Working |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between welder helpers' and combination welders' demographics:
| Welder Helper | Combination Welder | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.1% Female, 7.9% | Male, 96.7% Female, 3.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 26.0% Asian, 2.5% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | 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% |