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The differences between welders 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 and a ship fitter. Additionally, a ship fitter has an average salary of $45,247, 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 a ship fitter are hand tools, tack-weld, and tack welding.
| Welder | Ship Fitter | |
| Yearly salary | $39,696 | $45,247 |
| Hourly rate | $19.08 | $21.75 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 9,463 | 9,742 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.25 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 46% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 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.
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.
Welders and ship fitters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Welder | Ship Fitter | |
| Average salary | $39,696 | $45,247 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $54,000 | Between $31,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | Woburn, MA | Mount Laurel, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | California Resources | BWX Technologies |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a welder and a ship fitter in terms of educational background:
| Welder | Ship Fitter | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 46% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Most common major | Precision Metal Working | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between welders' and ship fitters' demographics:
| Welder | Ship Fitter | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.9% Female, 6.1% | Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3% |
| 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, 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% |