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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023

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)
421,730 0.8 % $ 25.31 $ 52,640 0.2 %

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

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 17.71 $ 20.56 $ 23.53 $ 28.80 $ 35.08
Annual Wage (2) $ 36,830 $ 42,760 $ 48,940 $ 59,900 $ 72,970

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) 68,110 13.68 $ 23.82 $ 49,550
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) 60,390 7.77 $ 24.21 $ 50,350
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) 25,220 5.37 $ 23.65 $ 49,200
Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing 24,950 14.78 $ 22.74 $ 47,310
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors 18,210 1.86 $ 26.58 $ 55,290

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 24,950 14.78 $ 22.74 $ 47,310
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) 68,110 13.68 $ 23.82 $ 49,550
Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing 2,400 11.26 $ 26.52 $ 55,160
Ship and Boat Building 14,760 9.65 $ 27.82 $ 57,870
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) 60,390 7.77 $ 24.21 $ 50,350

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

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Scheduled Air Transportation 40 0.01 $ 49.47 $ 102,900
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 1,150 0.29 $ 48.67 $ 101,220
Natural Gas Distribution 760 0.68 $ 47.54 $ 98,890
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 610 0.56 $ 42.52 $ 88,440
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas 270 0.81 $ 41.92 $ 87,180

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 2023


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 52,820 3.90 1.40 $ 25.68 $ 53,410
California 28,300 1.58 0.57 $ 28.45 $ 59,170
Ohio 19,750 3.61 1.30 $ 23.80 $ 49,510
Wisconsin 17,440 6.04 2.18 $ 25.44 $ 52,910
Illinois 17,280 2.87 1.03 $ 24.11 $ 50,160


Map of location quotient of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers by state, May 2023


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 3,510 7.90 2.84 $ 22.45 $ 46,700
Wyoming 1,940 7.08 2.55 $ 31.60 $ 65,730
Louisiana 12,360 6.68 2.40 $ 28.70 $ 59,690
Wisconsin 17,440 6.04 2.18 $ 25.44 $ 52,910
North Dakota 2,430 5.81 2.09 $ 28.24 $ 58,740


Map of annual mean wages of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers by state, May 2023


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 1.64 0.59 $ 38.08 $ 79,210
Hawaii 550 0.90 0.32 $ 36.34 $ 75,590
District of Columbia 280 0.40 0.14 $ 32.14 $ 66,860
Wyoming 1,940 7.08 2.55 $ 31.60 $ 65,730
Rhode Island 2,000 4.09 1.47 $ 30.34 $ 63,110



Map of employment of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers by area, May 2023


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 16,660 5.24 1.89 $ 27.15 $ 56,460
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 11,390 2.87 1.03 $ 25.17 $ 52,360
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 9,490 2.11 0.76 $ 24.50 $ 50,970
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 8,370 1.35 0.49 $ 28.33 $ 58,930
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 6,060 2.15 0.77 $ 23.86 $ 49,630
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 5,810 0.61 0.22 $ 30.96 $ 64,390
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 5,380 2.83 1.02 $ 24.19 $ 50,320
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 4,790 2.50 0.90 $ 28.37 $ 59,000
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 4,550 1.99 0.72 $ 25.33 $ 52,680
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 4,300 5.83 2.10 $ 28.67 $ 59,630


Map of location quotient of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers by area, May 2023


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)
Houma-Thibodaux, LA 1,380 17.09 6.16 $ 25.69 $ 53,440
Elkhart-Goshen, IN 2,310 16.88 6.08 $ 25.55 $ 53,150
Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS 2,190 14.49 5.22 (8) (8)
Lewiston, ID-WA 390 13.73 4.95 $ 25.91 $ 53,890
Wausau, WI 940 13.50 4.86 $ 24.82 $ 51,630
Sheboygan, WI 790 13.17 4.74 $ 25.33 $ 52,680
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 1,860 11.97 4.31 $ 30.07 $ 62,550
Casper, WY 450 11.60 4.18 $ 29.47 $ 61,300
Longview, TX 1,100 11.28 4.06 $ 24.15 $ 50,230
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY 580 10.67 3.84 $ 22.51 $ 46,820