Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

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. Includes workers who operate laser cutters or laser-beam machines.


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)
40,350 2.4 % $17.36 $36,120 0.9 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $11.05 $13.56 $16.72 $20.51 $24.94
Annual Wage (2) $22,980 $28,200 $34,770 $42,660 $51,880


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)
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing 7,310 1.67 $16.38 $34,060
Architectural and Structural Metals Manufacturing 4,090 1.26 $16.82 $34,990
Agriculture, Construction, and Mining Machinery Manufacturing 3,160 1.46 $18.22 $37,890
Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing 2,050 0.62 $16.79 $34,920
Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing 1,910 0.75 $19.12 $39,770

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing 1,030 3.17 $18.05 $37,540
Boiler, Tank, and Shipping Container Manufacturing 1,560 1.81 $16.84 $35,030
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing 7,310 1.67 $16.38 $34,060
Agriculture, Construction, and Mining Machinery Manufacturing 3,160 1.46 $18.22 $37,890
Architectural and Structural Metals Manufacturing 4,090 1.26 $16.82 $34,990

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 50 0.01 $35.89 $74,660
Building Equipment Contractors 60 (7) $21.80 $45,350
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing 1,440 0.94 $21.58 $44,880
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 810 0.17 $20.66 $42,980
Ship and Boat Building 890 0.72 $20.02 $41,640


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)
Ohio 4,080 0.82 2.60 $15.99 $33,260
Indiana 3,320 1.20 3.83 $16.35 $34,020
Illinois 2,280 0.41 1.30 $19.05 $39,620
Texas 2,140 0.21 0.66 $16.57 $34,470
California 2,120 0.15 0.48 $18.43 $38,340




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)
Indiana 3,320 1.20 3.83 $16.35 $34,020
Ohio 4,080 0.82 2.60 $15.99 $33,260
Wisconsin 2,060 0.78 2.48 $17.87 $37,180
South Dakota 280 0.71 2.26 $16.25 $33,800
Kentucky 1,150 0.67 2.12 $16.03 $33,330




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Maine 100 0.17 0.53 $23.04 $47,930
Alaska 40 0.13 0.41 $22.46 $46,710
Hawaii 50 0.08 0.26 $22.22 $46,220
Wyoming 150 0.53 1.69 $20.34 $42,300
Arizona 220 0.09 0.30 $19.90 $41,380





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)
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 1,180 0.33 1.05 $18.02 $37,480
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 1,170 0.46 1.46 $17.88 $37,180
Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN 680 0.70 2.24 $15.96 $33,200
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 620 0.78 2.47 $19.54 $40,650
Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Division 590 0.87 2.77 (8) (8)
Indianapolis-Carmel, IN 540 0.63 1.99 $14.52 $30,190
Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH 540 0.55 1.75 $18.87 $39,260
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 540 0.31 1.00 $19.97 $41,530
Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI Metropolitan Division 530 0.51 1.62 $19.11 $39,750
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 510 0.13 0.43 $20.67 $43,000




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)
Elkhart-Goshen, IN 450 4.34 13.79 $13.03 $27,090
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA 110 1.71 5.43 $22.47 $46,730
Wausau, WI 110 1.63 5.19 $18.14 $37,720
Winston-Salem, NC 310 1.55 4.94 (8) (8)
St. Cloud, MN 140 1.53 4.87 $17.63 $36,670
Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA 130 1.47 4.68 $18.77 $39,040
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA 150 1.29 4.09 $16.21 $33,710
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA 110 1.25 3.98 $18.37 $38,210
Anniston-Oxford, AL 50 1.21 3.83 $18.50 $38,490
Canton-Massillon, OH 160 1.01 3.21 $15.68 $32,620




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)
Tacoma, WA Metropolitan Division 40 0.16 0.49 $23.51 $48,890
St. Louis, MO-IL 310 0.24 0.76 $22.74 $47,290
Akron, OH 160 0.53 1.67 $22.53 $46,850
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA 110 1.71 5.43 $22.47 $46,730
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 60 0.16 0.50 $22.27 $46,320
Honolulu, HI 50 0.11 0.35 $22.22 $46,220
Norwich-New London, CT-RI 40 0.34 1.09 $22.07 $45,910
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA 140 0.27 0.87 $20.71 $43,080
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 510 0.13 0.43 $20.67 $43,000
Reading, PA 30 0.19 0.60 $20.54 $42,720

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)
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 1,240 5.64 17.93 $14.60 $30,360
Central Indiana nonmetropolitan area 460 3.15 10.02 $16.60 $34,530
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 420 1.90 6.05 $17.15 $35,680
Other Ohio nonmetropolitan area 360 1.37 4.35 $16.87 $35,090
Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 360 1.83 5.81 $13.17 $27,390

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)
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 1,240 5.64 17.93 $14.60 $30,360
Central Indiana nonmetropolitan area 460 3.15 10.02 $16.60 $34,530
Pee Dee South Carolina nonmetropolitan area 100 2.30 7.30 $15.96 $33,190
Northeastern Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 190 2.08 6.61 $16.30 $33,900
Eastern South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 240 1.97 6.27 $16.29 $33,880

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)
Northeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $20.03 $41,660
West Central Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $19.96 $41,530
Northwestern Virginia nonmetropolitan area 60 0.50 1.59 $19.30 $40,140
West Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 140 0.94 3.00 $19.26 $40,070
Central Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 90 0.86 2.75 $19.04 $39,600


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.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(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