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The differences between welders and electricians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a welder, becoming an electrician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an electrician has an average salary of $48,850, which is higher than the $39,696 average annual salary of a welder.
The top three skills for a welder include arc welding, aluminum and hand tools. The most important skills for an electrician are hand tools, electrical equipment, and run conduit.
| Welder | Electrician | |
| Yearly salary | $39,696 | $48,850 |
| Hourly rate | $19.08 | $23.49 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 9,463 | 17,245 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.25 | 3.86 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 46% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Average age | 40 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
Welders are skilled workers who primarily work on metals and other metalworks. One of the most commonly known activities that welders do is fusing materials that are made of metal. They usually work on buildings, large pipes, and cars. They also fix holes or any other imperfection on metal materials. They do these by applying heat using welding torches or any other special tools that they have. Welders are also responsible for studying blueprints related to the items they will work on, ensuring that all needed materials are available, practicing occupational safety and health protocols, and maintaining the welding tools they use.
An electrician is a skilled tradesman in charge of wirings and systems which provide electric power to a facility. They are trained to design, install, maintain, and troubleshoot electrical wiring systems. There are four basic types of an electrician - residential wiremen, inside wiremen, telecommunications electrician, and outside linemen. Some work on a standard 40-hour week shift while others are on-call duty. In some cases, traveling is also a vital key to their role where they would work for a few days before moving to another location.
Welders and electricians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Welder | Electrician | |
| Average salary | $39,696 | $48,850 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $54,000 | Between $32,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | Woburn, MA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Alaska |
| Best paying company | California Resources | PBF Energy |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a welder and an electrician in terms of educational background:
| Welder | Electrician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 46% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Most common major | Precision Metal Working | Electrical Engineering Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between welders' and electricians' demographics:
| Welder | Electrician | |
| Average age | 40 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.9% Female, 6.1% | Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 3.0% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 2.2% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |