Welding foreman vs lead welder

The differences between welding foremen and lead welders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a welding foreman, becoming a lead welder takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a welding foreman has an average salary of $52,863, which is higher than the $45,718 average annual salary of a lead welder.

The top three skills for a welding foreman include MIG, FCAW and structural steel. The most important skills for a lead welder are aluminum, stainless steel, and safety equipment.

Welding foreman vs lead welder overview

	Welding Foreman	Lead Welder
Yearly salary	$52,863	$45,718
Hourly rate	$25.41	$21.98
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	11,547	8,274
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 39%
Average age	46	40
Years of experience	2	4

Welding foreman vs lead welder salary

Welding foremen and lead welders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Welding Foreman	Lead Welder
Average salary	$52,863	$45,718
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $72,000	Between $33,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between welding foreman and lead welder education

There are a few differences between a welding foreman and a lead welder in terms of educational background:

	Welding Foreman	Lead Welder
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 39%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	-

Welding foreman vs lead welder demographics

Here are the differences between welding foremen' and lead welders' demographics:

	Welding Foreman	Lead Welder
Average age	46	40
Gender ratio	Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1%	Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 4.7% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 2.9% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	3%

Differences between welding foreman and lead welder duties and responsibilities

Welding foreman example responsibilities.

Manage weld process controls of GMAW-P, CV both robotic and semi-automatic; to include GTAW both robotic and semi-automatic.
Improve robot weld process through robot and PLC programming.
Apply flux ti work pie ce before soldering or brazing.
Use MIG gun arc to melt and deposit metal from electrode to work pieces.
Create new and advance program storage system on all CNC equipment for parts and items reproductions.
Establish and qualify new weld procedures and monitor compliance to those WPS in daily production at vendor shops.

Lead welder example responsibilities.

Create weekly work schedules, process payroll information, manage inventory counts and job cost for each project.
Certify in restaurant grade stainless steel and aluminum TIG welding, carbon stick welding and stainless and carbon MIG welding.
Weld with solid wire (GMAW), flux core (FCAW) and stick (SMAW).
Used MIG and TIG welding to fit electrical and mechanical components.
Execute daily operations of MIG, and TIG welding, and rework welding.
Develop and record documentation for PQR's and WPS's.

Welding foreman vs lead welder skills

Common welding foreman skills

MIG, 12%
FCAW, 6%
Structural Steel, 5%
SMAW, 5%
Plasma Arc, 5%
GMAW, 5%

Common lead welder skills

Aluminum, 7%
Stainless Steel, 7%
Safety Equipment, 6%
Blueprint Specifications, 5%
GMAW, 5%
Tig Welding, 5%