Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between welders and fabricators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a welder has an average salary of $39,696, which is higher than the $34,922 average annual salary of a fabricator.
The top three skills for a welder include arc welding, aluminum and hand tools. The most important skills for a fabricator are hand tools, basic math, and calipers.
| Welder | Fabricator | |
| Yearly salary | $39,696 | $34,922 |
| Hourly rate | $19.08 | $16.79 |
| Growth rate | 2% | -1% |
| Number of jobs | 9,463 | 7,772 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.25 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 46% | High School Diploma, 44% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
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.
A fabricator specializes in manufacturing and assembling equipment or devices, ensuring every product's quality and efficiency. There are instances when a fabricator is required to make multiple gears, conduct verification processes on product schematics and specifications, perform quality control inspections, and test the product in different environments. Furthermore, a fabricator needs to coordinate with all workforce members to remain informed on any changes or updates in the production operations while adhering to the company's policies and safety standards.
Welders and fabricators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Welder | Fabricator | |
| Average salary | $39,696 | $34,922 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $54,000 | Between $27,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Woburn, MA | Las Vegas, NV |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Nevada |
| Best paying company | California Resources | Danaher |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Finance |
There are a few differences between a welder and a fabricator in terms of educational background:
| Welder | Fabricator | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 46% | High School Diploma, 44% |
| Most common major | Precision Metal Working | Precision Metal Working |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between welders' and fabricators' demographics:
| Welder | Fabricator | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.9% Female, 6.1% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| 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, 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% |