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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

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)
397,600 0.8 % $ 23.21 $ 48,290 0.2 %

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

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 15.07 $ 18.20 $ 22.60 $ 27.33 $ 30.61
Annual Wage (2) $ 31,350 $ 37,860 $ 47,010 $ 56,850 $ 63,660

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) 67,700 14.59 $ 22.02 $ 45,800
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) 58,150 8.30 $ 22.21 $ 46,200
Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing 24,110 15.44 $ 20.30 $ 42,220
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) 23,590 5.28 $ 21.54 $ 44,800
Ship and Boat Building 14,980 10.37 $ 25.83 $ 53,720

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 24,110 15.44 $ 20.30 $ 42,220
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) 67,700 14.59 $ 22.02 $ 45,800
Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing 2,380 12.05 $ 23.03 $ 47,900
Ship and Boat Building 14,980 10.37 $ 25.83 $ 53,720
Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing 3,030 8.33 $ 25.60 $ 53,250

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

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 1,040 0.28 $ 44.29 $ 92,130
Natural Gas Distribution 720 0.65 $ 42.76 $ 88,940
Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil 70 0.63 $ 42.26 $ 87,900
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas 240 0.79 $ 38.73 $ 80,560
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 550 0.53 $ 37.08 $ 77,130

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 2021


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 46,580 3.81 1.35 $ 24.31 $ 50,560
California 30,080 1.82 0.64 $ 25.22 $ 52,460
Ohio 17,710 3.40 1.21 $ 21.48 $ 44,670
Pennsylvania 17,320 3.10 1.10 $ 23.20 $ 48,250
Wisconsin 16,570 6.02 2.13 $ 23.97 $ 49,850


Map of location quotient of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers by state, May 2021


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)
South Dakota 3,150 7.48 2.65 $ 20.46 $ 42,560
North Dakota 2,680 6.79 2.41 $ 27.67 $ 57,550
Wyoming 1,760 6.74 2.39 $ 30.42 $ 63,280
Louisiana 11,360 6.33 2.24 $ 25.37 $ 52,780
Oklahoma 9,440 6.06 2.15 $ 22.05 $ 45,860


Map of annual mean wages of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers by state, May 2021


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)
District of Columbia 230 0.35 0.12 $ 34.25 $ 71,230
Alaska 560 1.89 0.67 $ 33.89 $ 70,490
Hawaii 700 1.28 0.45 $ 31.74 $ 66,020
Wyoming 1,760 6.74 2.39 $ 30.42 $ 63,280
North Dakota 2,680 6.79 2.41 $ 27.67 $ 57,550



Map of employment of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers by area, May 2021


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 15,110 5.22 1.85 $ 25.64 $ 53,320
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 10,220 2.85 1.01 $ 23.49 $ 48,850
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 9,160 2.16 0.77 $ 22.86 $ 47,550
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 8,900 1.56 0.55 $ 24.49 $ 50,940
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 5,670 0.65 0.23 $ 28.82 $ 59,950
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 5,530 2.14 0.76 $ 22.00 $ 45,770
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 5,370 2.98 1.06 $ 21.76 $ 45,260
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 5,250 2.88 1.02 $ 24.82 $ 51,620
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 4,480 6.30 2.23 $ 26.22 $ 54,530
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 4,300 2.03 0.72 $ 23.41 $ 48,700


Map of location quotient of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers by area, May 2021


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 2,730 20.41 7.23 $ 21.83 $ 45,400
Houma-Thibodaux, LA 1,380 17.29 6.13 $ 23.22 $ 48,290
Sheboygan, WI 910 15.81 5.60 $ 22.46 $ 46,710
Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS 2,250 15.41 5.46 $ 26.44 $ 54,990
Gainesville, GA 970 10.79 3.82 $ 19.15 $ 39,830
Peoria, IL 1,670 10.64 3.77 $ 21.06 $ 43,800
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 1,510 10.24 3.63 $ 27.51 $ 57,220
Lake Charles, LA 880 9.79 3.47 $ 27.34 $ 56,860
Longview, TX 870 9.66 3.42 $ 23.24 $ 48,340
Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, AL 420 9.65 3.42 $ 23.56 $ 49,000