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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

51-4121 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Use hand-welding, flame-cutting, hand-soldering, or brazing equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.

National estimates for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Industry profile for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Geographic profile for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

National estimates for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
408,990 1.2 % $ 24.26 $ 50,460 0.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 17.01 $ 18.98 $ 22.86 $ 27.93 $ 33.05
Annual Wage (2) $ 35,380 $ 39,480 $ 47,540 $ 58,100 $ 68,750

Industry profile for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) 67,120 13.83 $ 22.65 $ 47,100
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) 58,500 7.82 $ 23.40 $ 48,670
Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing 26,520 15.74 $ 21.48 $ 44,670
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) 25,820 5.55 $ 22.70 $ 47,220
Employment Services 15,740 0.40 $ 21.47 $ 44,660

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing 26,520 15.74 $ 21.48 $ 44,670
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) 67,120 13.83 $ 22.65 $ 47,100
Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing 2,630 13.30 $ 23.83 $ 49,570
Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing 4,480 11.19 $ 26.60 $ 55,330
Ship and Boat Building 14,490 9.80 $ 27.12 $ 56,410

Top paying industries for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Water, Sewage and Other Systems 50 0.08 $ 68.18 $ 141,800
Scheduled Air Transportation 50 0.01 $ 46.51 $ 96,730
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 1,080 0.29 $ 46.45 $ 96,610
Natural Gas Distribution 870 0.79 $ 45.48 $ 94,600
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas 320 1.02 $ 39.04 $ 81,200

Geographic profile for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 48,380 3.72 1.35 $ 25.24 $ 52,500
California 31,510 1.79 0.65 $ 26.58 $ 55,290
Ohio 18,240 3.39 1.23 $ 22.66 $ 47,120
Wisconsin 18,080 6.42 2.32 $ 25.39 $ 52,800
Pennsylvania 16,320 2.81 1.02 $ 24.17 $ 50,270


Map of location quotient of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Wyoming 2,030 7.56 2.73 $ 31.60 $ 65,730
South Dakota 3,150 7.23 2.61 $ 21.32 $ 44,350
Wisconsin 18,080 6.42 2.32 $ 25.39 $ 52,800
North Dakota 2,500 6.15 2.23 $ 27.95 $ 58,130
Louisiana 11,330 6.13 2.22 $ 27.55 $ 57,310


Map of annual mean wages of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 510 1.67 0.60 $ 34.51 $ 71,790
Hawaii 650 1.10 0.40 $ 33.89 $ 70,500
Wyoming 2,030 7.56 2.73 $ 31.60 $ 65,730
District of Columbia 260 0.38 0.14 $ 29.22 $ 60,780
Washington 6,660 1.96 0.71 $ 29.04 $ 60,410



Map of employment of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 15,440 5.05 1.83 $ 27.01 $ 56,190
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 9,910 2.60 0.94 $ 24.42 $ 50,800
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 9,890 1.62 0.59 $ 25.80 $ 53,660
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 9,010 2.04 0.74 $ 24.08 $ 50,080
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 5,890 2.16 0.78 $ 22.99 $ 47,810
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 5,750 0.63 0.23 $ 29.18 $ 60,700
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 5,600 2.97 1.07 $ 26.43 $ 54,960
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 5,200 2.79 1.01 $ 22.97 $ 47,770
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 4,370 5.45 1.97 $ 26.55 $ 55,230
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 4,360 1.96 0.71 $ 24.99 $ 51,970


Map of location quotient of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Elkhart-Goshen, IN 2,780 19.54 7.06 $ 24.09 $ 50,110
Houma-Thibodaux, LA 1,370 17.59 6.36 $ 23.56 $ 48,990
Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS 2,230 14.96 5.41 (8) (8)
Sheboygan, WI 870 14.78 5.34 $ 24.05 $ 50,030
Wausau, WI 980 14.15 5.12 $ 23.75 $ 49,400
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY 720 13.80 4.99 $ 20.98 $ 43,640
Farmington, NM 470 10.87 3.93 $ 27.52 $ 57,240
Casper, WY 410 10.79 3.90 $ 30.16 $ 62,740
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 1,610 10.65 3.85 $ 29.64 $ 61,650
Texarkana, TX-AR 590 10.56 3.82 $ 20.73 $ 43,120