Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Salary: $63,590 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 424,040 welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers nationally earn a mean of $63,590. Employment in the series shown fell about 8% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 0.6% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers: what the data shows
Common questions about welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers?
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-4121.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 424,040 workers.
What does a welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Handling and Moving Objects, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Performing General Physical Activities, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $51,000 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $63,590 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $45,348 |
| 25th percentile | $49,236 |
| Median (50th) | $59,445 |
| 75th percentile | $71,767 |
| 90th percentile | $86,890 |
What education do you need?
For Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Quality Control Analysis, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Time Management, Operations Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Production and Processing, Mechanical, Mathematics, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.6% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -2.8%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -5.6%.
Current U.S. headcount: 424,040.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do welders, cutters, solderers, and brazerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 424,040 | 19.5% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 419,380 | 19.3% |
| Manufacturing | 278,780 | 12.8% |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 111,060 | 5.1% |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) | 69,830 | 3.2% |
| Machinery Manufacturing | 68,630 | 3.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Machinists | 298,790 | $56,150 |
| Tool and Die Makers | 55,130 | $63,180 |
| Sheet Metal Workers | 117,470 | $60,850 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers workforce.
Employment Over Time
424,040 Workforce in 2023
The Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$63,590 Average Wage
In 2023, Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers earned an average of $63,590.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Salary distribution for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Employment Growth Projections
-0.6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
99,893 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -2.8%
97,069 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -5.6%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Wage Trends by Industry
6.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 56,650 employees, $54,380 avg wage
- CA: 26,100 employees, $61,980 avg wage
- OH: 20,110 employees, $52,210 avg wage
- IL: 17,340 employees, $53,630 avg wage
- WI: 16,820 employees, $55,660 avg wage
- FL: 16,390 employees, $52,570 avg wage
- PA: 16,060 employees, $53,210 avg wage
- GA: 14,030 employees, $49,960 avg wage
- MI: 13,640 employees, $52,780 avg wage
- IN: 13,260 employees, $53,020 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 17,750 employees, $56,540 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 11,870 employees, $54,050 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 9,150 employees, $53,840 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 7,560 employees, $62,550 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 5,720 employees, $52,670 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 5,670 employees, $59,110 avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 5,240 employees, $54,460 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 4,930 employees, $67,830 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 4,720 employees, $61,830 avg wage
- Tulsa, OK: 4,070 employees, $54,460 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in 2023 was 424,040 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in 2023 were Business Administration, Technical Training, Welding.
Common majors for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers workers.
Education level distribution for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Skills
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers need many skills, but most especially Quality Control Analysis, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Time Management.
Required skills for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers include Production and Processing, Mechanical, Mathematics, English Language, Design.
Knowledge areas required for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers include Arm-Hand Steadiness, Near Vision, Finger Dexterity, Problem Sensitivity, Control Precision.
Required abilities for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Daily Activities
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Handling and Moving Objects, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings.
Most important work activities for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
About
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
The average yearly wage for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers was $63,590 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-4121 - Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers reports an average salary of $63,590.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 424,040 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.6%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.