Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

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 this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic 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)
316,290 0.8 % $18.23 $37,920 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $11.78 $14.12 $17.27 $21.35 $26.56
Annual Wage (2) $24,490 $29,370 $35,920 $44,410 $55,240


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Architectural and Structural Metals Manufacturing 38,850 11.95 $16.81 $34,960
Agriculture, Construction, and Mining Machinery Manufacturing 20,400 9.44 $17.55 $36,500
Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance 14,540 7.96 $18.08 $37,600
Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing 13,700 5.87 $17.58 $36,560
Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing 13,550 11.72 $15.82 $32,900

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Boiler, Tank, and Shipping Container Manufacturing 12,080 14.03 $17.65 $36,700
Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing 2,630 13.80 $15.95 $33,170
Architectural and Structural Metals Manufacturing 38,850 11.95 $16.81 $34,960
Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing 13,550 11.72 $15.82 $32,900
Ship and Boat Building 12,010 9.70 $19.41 $40,370

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Spectator Sports 80 0.07 $32.23 $67,040
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 1,410 0.36 $29.38 $61,110
Natural Gas Distribution 800 0.74 $28.66 $59,620
Scheduled Air Transportation 110 0.03 $28.34 $58,950
Postal Service 50 0.01 $26.59 $55,310


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 42,970 4.17 1.69 $18.05 $37,550
California 20,160 1.44 0.58 $19.30 $40,140
Pennsylvania 14,750 2.66 1.08 $18.04 $37,530
Illinois 13,950 2.50 1.01 $18.09 $37,640
Louisiana 13,190 7.17 2.91 $20.20 $42,020




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Louisiana 13,190 7.17 2.91 $20.20 $42,020
Wyoming 1,880 6.88 2.79 $23.64 $49,160
Oklahoma 10,160 6.78 2.75 $17.76 $36,950
South Dakota 2,650 6.74 2.73 $15.05 $31,290
North Dakota 2,390 6.43 2.61 $20.27 $42,160




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 680 2.16 0.87 $32.68 $67,980
Hawaii 510 0.88 0.36 $27.17 $56,510
District of Columbia 120 0.18 0.07 $25.00 $52,000
Wyoming 1,880 6.88 2.79 $23.64 $49,160
Nevada 1,330 1.19 0.48 $21.75 $45,240





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 15,020 5.89 2.39 $19.46 $40,470
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 5,990 1.67 0.68 $18.45 $38,380
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 5,420 1.42 0.58 $18.06 $37,560
Tulsa, OK 4,060 9.96 4.04 $18.61 $38,710
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 4,050 1.98 0.80 $17.13 $35,630
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 3,590 2.10 0.85 $20.74 $43,150
Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Division 3,400 3.98 1.61 $15.73 $32,710
Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI Metropolitan Division 3,110 3.00 1.22 $18.97 $39,470
Pittsburgh, PA 2,910 2.61 1.06 $17.21 $35,810
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA 2,900 5.69 2.31 $20.74 $43,130




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Pascagoula, MS 2,690 49.21 19.96 $20.18 $41,970
Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA 1,970 21.77 8.83 $19.73 $41,050
Odessa, TX 990 15.97 6.48 $22.04 $45,850
Longview, TX 1,350 14.25 5.78 $15.98 $33,240
Farmington, NM 610 12.48 5.06 $21.90 $45,550
Casper, WY 490 12.45 5.05 $20.10 $41,800
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 1,880 12.14 4.92 $24.19 $50,310
Wausau, WI 660 10.21 4.14 $19.69 $40,950
Tulsa, OK 4,060 9.96 4.04 $18.61 $38,710
Anniston-Oxford, AL 420 9.13 3.70 $21.33 $44,380




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Fairbanks, AK 60 1.82 0.74 $31.27 $65,040
Anchorage, AK 170 1.00 0.41 $30.51 $63,450
Peabody, MA NECTA Division 120 1.21 0.49 $29.08 $60,490
Honolulu, HI 450 1.05 0.42 $28.08 $58,410
College Station-Bryan, TX 200 2.21 0.90 $27.46 $57,130
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA 450 5.65 2.29 $27.28 $56,740
Bakersfield-Delano, CA 1,000 3.88 1.57 $26.53 $55,180
Longview, WA 90 2.61 1.06 $24.76 $51,500
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 1,880 12.14 4.92 $24.19 $50,310
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Division 1,420 1.49 0.60 $24.15 $50,220

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 2,630 6.91 2.80 $15.72 $32,710
New Iberia nonmetropolitan area 2,300 17.42 7.07 $18.81 $39,120
Eastern Texas nonmetropolitan area 2,140 7.73 3.13 $14.83 $30,840
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 1,800 8.19 3.32 $16.68 $34,690
Eastern South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 1,800 14.59 5.92 $14.79 $30,760

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Iberia nonmetropolitan area 2,300 17.42 7.07 $18.81 $39,120
Eastern South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 1,800 14.59 5.92 $14.79 $30,760
Northeastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 570 11.73 4.76 $25.21 $52,440
Eastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 1,780 11.41 4.63 $18.38 $38,220
Northern Utah nonmetropolitan area 190 11.11 4.51 $21.69 $45,120

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Railbelt / Southwest Alaska nonmetropolitan area 400 5.55 2.25 $34.58 $71,920
Eastern Utah nonmetropolitan area 300 6.16 2.50 $30.51 $63,460
Southeastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 250 6.79 2.75 $29.28 $60,910
Southwestern Washington nonmetropolitan area 80 1.34 0.54 $26.93 $56,010
Southeast Alaska nonmetropolitan area 40 1.23 0.50 $25.80 $53,660


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. 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) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include 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.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012