Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2015

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 this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
386,240 0.9 % $19.70 $40,970 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $12.47 $15.18 $18.34 $23.01 $28.85
Annual Wage (2) $25,940 $31,570 $38,150 $47,860 $60,000


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Architectural and Structural Metals Manufacturing 47,080 12.78 $18.20 $37,850
Agriculture, Construction, and Mining Machinery Manufacturing 24,260 9.76 $18.59 $38,670
Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing 18,770 12.85 $16.95 $35,260
Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing 17,430 6.52 $18.81 $39,130
Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance 16,160 7.83 $19.64 $40,850

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Boiler, Tank, and Shipping Container Manufacturing 15,910 16.20 $18.93 $39,380
Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing 3,760 13.44 $19.10 $39,730
Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing 18,770 12.85 $16.95 $35,260
Architectural and Structural Metals Manufacturing 47,080 12.78 $18.20 $37,850
Ship and Boat Building 14,820 10.70 $21.33 $44,380

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 1,240 0.31 $34.41 $71,570
Natural Gas Distribution 860 0.76 $33.18 $69,010
Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil 40 0.35 $29.57 $61,500
Other Pipeline Transportation 40 0.52 $29.16 $60,650
Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing 40 0.04 $28.89 $60,090


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

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




States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 55,020 4.75 1.70 $20.95 $43,580
California 27,070 1.75 0.62 $20.66 $42,970
Pennsylvania 18,060 3.16 1.13 $19.48 $40,510
Louisiana 16,690 8.61 3.07 $21.33 $44,370
Ohio 16,340 3.09 1.10 $18.29 $38,030



States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Louisiana 16,690 8.61 3.07 $21.33 $44,370
Wyoming 2,260 7.98 2.85 $26.92 $55,990
South Dakota 3,280 7.94 2.83 $16.79 $34,930
Oklahoma 10,640 6.66 2.38 $19.21 $39,960
Mississippi 6,740 6.09 2.17 $20.04 $41,680



Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 780 2.38 0.85 $33.46 $69,590
Hawaii 530 0.86 0.31 $29.47 $61,300
District of Columbia 60 0.09 0.03 $27.76 $57,740
Wyoming 2,260 7.98 2.85 $26.92 $55,990
North Dakota 2,710 6.05 2.16 $25.53 $53,100




Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 18,150 6.20 2.21 $23.06 $47,970
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 6,740 1.64 0.59 $19.28 $40,090
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 6,420 2.76 0.98 $17.78 $36,970
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division 6,300 1.76 0.63 $18.75 $38,990
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 4,510 2.40 0.86 $21.16 $44,010
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 4,210 1.70 0.61 $16.97 $35,290
Tulsa, OK 4,150 9.56 3.41 $20.02 $41,650
Baton Rouge, LA 3,970 10.14 3.62 $21.59 $44,910
Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Division 3,800 3.90 1.39 $19.10 $39,730
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 3,750 2.00 0.71 $19.42 $40,380



Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Houma-Thibodaux, LA 2,210 22.82 8.15 $22.41 $46,620
Longview, TX 2,150 21.82 7.79 $22.98 $47,790
Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS 2,770 18.89 6.74 $23.55 $48,990
Elkhart-Goshen, IN 2,030 16.38 5.85 $16.42 $34,160
Odessa, TX 1,200 15.97 5.70 $27.28 $56,740
Casper, WY 660 15.32 5.47 $22.92 $47,660
Lafayette, LA 3,040 14.03 5.01 $19.97 $41,540
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 2,310 14.00 5.00 $24.51 $50,990
Lake Charles, LA 1,280 13.20 4.71 $23.46 $48,800
Corpus Christi, TX 2,160 11.43 4.08 $22.14 $46,060



Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Anchorage, AK 230 1.29 0.46 $33.41 $69,480
San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA Metropolitan Division 710 0.69 0.25 $30.91 $64,290
Fairbanks, AK 90 2.46 0.88 $30.58 $63,610
Urban Honolulu, HI 450 0.99 0.35 $30.39 $63,200
Odessa, TX 1,200 15.97 5.70 $27.28 $56,740
Bellingham, WA 290 3.57 1.27 $26.31 $54,730
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA 270 5.98 2.14 $26.23 $54,560
Bakersfield, CA 1,710 5.79 2.07 $25.60 $53,260
Decatur, IL (8) (8) (8) $25.53 $53,110
Farmington, NM 520 10.24 3.65 $25.37 $52,770

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 2,550 11.89 4.24 $16.13 $33,550
North Northeastern Ohio non-metropolitan area (non-contiguous) 2,040 6.20 2.21 $17.37 $36,130
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 2,020 7.37 2.63 $15.05 $31,310
Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 1,950 9.61 3.43 $19.49 $40,530
East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 1,900 14.46 5.16 $16.61 $34,540

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 1,010 15.67 5.60 $20.08 $41,760
East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 1,900 14.46 5.16 $16.61 $34,540
Northeast Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 670 13.40 4.78 $28.95 $60,220
Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area 1,730 12.45 4.45 $17.03 $35,430
Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 2,550 11.89 4.24 $16.13 $33,550

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Balance of Alaska nonmetropolitan area 390 5.08 1.81 $34.90 $72,590
Far West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 930 10.93 3.90 $32.04 $66,650
East Montana nonmetropolitan area 120 3.60 1.29 $29.83 $62,040
Southeast Alaska nonmetropolitan area 70 1.97 0.70 $29.55 $61,460
Northwest Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 160 3.84 1.37 $29.16 $60,660


About May 2015 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2015 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2015 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2015 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2015 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2015 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 30, 2016