Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers is a dynamic career path with diverse opportunities. While facing some shifts, the field is adapting to changes in the job market. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers workforce.
Employment Over Time
26,100 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.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 24,140 employees, $63,611 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 5,160 employees, $65,356 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 3,670 employees, $57,301 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 2,730 employees, $66,493 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 2,400 employees, $61,629 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 1,570 employees, $62,574 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 1,380 employees, $71,826 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 1,160 employees, $76,692 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 1,040 employees, $54,582 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 880 employees, $63,067 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 620 employees, $58,050 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 26,100 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 26,100 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.