Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2016

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)
382,730	0.9 %	$20.41	$42,450	0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$12.88	$15.67	$18.94	$23.82	$29.85
Annual Wage (2)	$26,800	$32,590	$39,390	$49,550	$62,100

---

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	48,370	13.04	$18.86	$39,230
Agriculture, Construction, and Mining Machinery Manufacturing	21,280	9.92	$19.21	$39,960
Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing	19,930	13.22	$18.37	$38,200
Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing	16,970	6.45	$19.26	$40,070
Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance	15,080	7.42	$20.24	$42,090

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	14,960	16.05	$19.39	$40,330
Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing	4,140	14.87	$19.71	$41,010
Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing	19,930	13.22	$18.37	$38,200
Architectural and Structural Metals Manufacturing	48,370	13.04	$18.86	$39,230
Ship and Boat Building	13,940	10.24	$22.35	$46,480

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	1,200	0.31	$35.56	$73,970
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	130	0.02	$34.62	$72,000
Natural Gas Distribution	610	0.54	$34.43	$71,620
Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil	60	0.59	$31.09	$64,660
Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills	100	0.10	$29.86	$62,120

---

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	53,790	4.58	1.68	$21.76	$45,250
California	27,440	1.72	0.63	$21.08	$43,840
Ohio	17,280	3.24	1.19	$18.88	$39,260
Pennsylvania	15,820	2.75	1.01	$20.26	$42,150
Louisiana	15,540	8.09	2.97	$22.99	$47,810

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	15,540	8.09	2.97	$22.99	$47,810
Wyoming	2,010	7.27	2.67	$27.59	$57,380
South Dakota	3,020	7.23	2.65	$17.33	$36,040
Oklahoma	9,580	6.04	2.21	$21.17	$44,040
Mississippi	6,280	5.62	2.06	$20.96	$43,600

Top paying States for this occupation:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska	770	2.37	0.87	$34.11	$70,940
District of Columbia	50	0.07	0.02	$28.63	$59,560
Hawaii	610	0.97	0.36	$27.97	$58,170
Wyoming	2,010	7.27	2.67	$27.59	$57,380
North Dakota	2,200	5.17	1.90	$25.10	$52,210

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	18,140	6.18	2.27	$23.97	$49,860
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division	7,060	2.91	1.07	$18.63	$38,750
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division	6,700	1.59	0.58	$19.54	$40,650
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division	5,310	1.46	0.54	$19.56	$40,690
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	4,550	1.78	0.65	$17.61	$36,620
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	4,360	2.28	0.84	$21.29	$44,290
Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Division	4,200	4.28	1.57	$19.60	$40,760
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ	4,030	2.08	0.76	$19.95	$41,490
New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division	4,010	0.61	0.22	$23.86	$49,630
Baton Rouge, LA	3,920	9.90	3.63	$25.77	$53,590