Occupational Employment and Wages, 2002

51-4122 Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Set up, operate, or tend welding, soldering, or brazing machines or robots that weld, braze, solder, or heat treat metal products, components, or assemblies. Include workers who operate laser cutters or laser-beam machines.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area 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)
56,280 2.0 % $15.20 $31,620 1.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.36 $11.22 $13.90 $17.77 $24.60
Annual Wage (2) $19,460 $23,340 $28,900 $36,950 $51,160

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Motor vehicle parts manufacturing 9,970 $18.90 $39,320 1 7
Architectural and structural metals mfg. 4,830 $14.12 $29,380 2 34
Ag., construction, and mining machinery mfg. 3,490 $15.14 $31,480 3 21
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing 2,620 $14.56 $30,290 4 28
Boiler, tank, and shipping container mfg. 2,400 $13.84 $28,780 5 39

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing 150 $23.66 $49,210 44 1
Power generation and supply 30 $23.40 $48,660 56 2
Local government (OES designation) 60 $22.52 $46,830 51 3
Utility system construction 100 $21.03 $43,740 48 4
Foundries 380 $19.66 $40,890 30 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Michigan 7,670 $20.34 $42,310 0.176% 258
South Dakota 440 $12.50 $25,990 0.121% 275
Oklahoma 1,620 $13.13 $27,320 0.114% 374
Wisconsin 2,690 $15.20 $31,620 0.100% 388
Tennessee 2,590 $13.55 $28,180 0.099% 389

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Michigan 7,670 $20.34 $42,310 0.176% 258
Wyoming 60 $18.33 $38,130 0.025% 157
Nevada 170 $16.70 $34,740 0.016% 313
Massachusetts 1,060 $16.32 $33,960 0.033% 408
Washington 380 $16.30 $33,910 0.015% 409

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Canton-Massillon, OH MSA 460 $14.28 $29,690 0.259%
Jackson, TN MSA 130 $12.81 $26,640 0.235%
Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, MI MSA 1,130 $15.82 $32,910 0.208%
Tulsa, OK MSA 680 $14.35 $29,850 0.181%
Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, MI MSA 330 $15.25 $31,710 0.163%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Houma, LA MSA (6) $26.47 $55,060 (6)
San Francisco, CA PMSA 60 $21.26 $44,230 0.006%
Wichita, KS MSA (6) $20.63 $42,910 (6)
Detroit, MI PMSA 2,310 $20.04 $41,680 0.115%
Redding, CA MSA (6) $19.65 $40,880 (6)

About 2002 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Data for detailed occupations does not sum to the totals because the totals include data for occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Production Occupations

2002 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download 2002 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 26, 2003