Welder vs welder-assembler

The differences between welders and welder-assemblers 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 welder-assembler. Additionally, a welder has an average salary of $39,696, which is higher than the $33,580 average annual salary of a welder-assembler.

The top three skills for a welder include arc welding, aluminum and hand tools. The most important skills for a welder-assembler are MIG, blueprint specifications, and aluminum.

Welder vs welder-assembler overview

	Welder	Welder-Assembler
Yearly salary	$39,696	$33,580
Hourly rate	$19.08	$16.14
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	9,463	26,070
Job satisfaction	4.25	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 48%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Welder vs welder-assembler salary

Welders and welder-assemblers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Welder	Welder-Assembler
Average salary	$39,696	$33,580
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $54,000	Between $26,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Woburn, MA	-
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	-
Best paying company	California Resources	-
Best paying industry	Automotive	-

Differences between welder and welder-assembler education

There are a few differences between a welder and a welder-assembler in terms of educational background:

	Welder	Welder-Assembler
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 48%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Welder vs welder-assembler demographics

Here are the differences between welders' and welder-assemblers' demographics:

	Welder	Welder-Assembler
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 93.9% Female, 6.1%	Male, 86.9% Female, 13.1%
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, 9.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 2.7% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between welder and welder-assembler duties and responsibilities

Welder example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Weld with oxyacetylene, MIG, and brazing all kind of materials like bronze, platinum, aluminum, and flux.
Experience TIG, plasma cutting, brazing, torch cutting, shears press, bending and manipulating heated metal.
Fabricate and weld car carrier trailers using MIG welding method, used overhead cranes to lift weld pieces up.
Fabricate and weld the steel reinforcement and forms according to print on a vibratory bed using MIG and GMAW welding.
Experience welding pipe ranging from 2"up to 72"pressure vessels using the GMAW and FCAW welding process.

Welder-assembler example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Perform welding duties with GMAW, to weld shoot beads on mild steel.
Start on CNC machine operator, to head welding/assembly.
Operate welding machines, soldering machines and brazing machines.
Weld aircraft parts, inspect parts, assemble parts for furnace brazing.
Cut various pieces out of stock using band saws, torches, and plasma cutters.

Welder vs welder-assembler skills

Common welder skills

Arc Welding, 8%
Aluminum, 7%
Hand Tools, 7%
Tig Welding, 6%
Stainless Steel, 5%
GMAW, 5%

Common welder-assembler skills

MIG, 17%
Blueprint Specifications, 7%
Aluminum, 7%
Stainless Steel, 6%
Safety Equipment, 5%
Tig Welding, 4%