Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

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51-4121 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Occupational Description:
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.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2026

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
U S	416,210	3,330	$27.91/hr	$19.30/hr	$23.01/hr	$26.43/hr	$30.98/hr	$38.13/hr

Leading Industries for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Natural Resources and Mining	30	$31.16/hr
Construction	200	$38.17/hr
Manufacturing	7,560	$29.66/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	580	$28.89/hr
Financial Activities	N/A	N/A
Professional and Business Services	430	$28.51/hr
Education and Health Services	N/A	N/A
Leisure and Hospitality	N/A	N/A
Other Services	400	$28.62/hr
Public Administration	30	$38.88/hr

Other Regional Data for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	190	$28.62/hr	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	220	$30.33/hr	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	280	$26.03/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	300	$28.92/hr	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	370	$28.23/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	460	$29.66/hr	6.3%
Rochester MN MSA	510	$29.69/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	620	$30.89/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	690	$30.06/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	720	$28.59/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	880	$28.59/hr	5.8%
Southwest Balance of State	980	$29.69/hr	N/A
Northwest Balance of State	1,010	$26.49/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	1,090	$27.42/hr	9.1%
Southeast Minnesota	1,100	$29.61/hr	9.6%
Central Minnesota	1,700	$29.89/hr	11.9%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	3,850	$30.41/hr	2.4%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	4,600	$30.43/hr	N/A
Minnesota	9,270	$29.64/hr	6.1%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	670	$28.30/hr	-4.6%
Helpers--Production Workers	2,570	$21.99/hr	-6.3%
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	6,130	$24.48/hr	-3.5%
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood	500	$25.24/hr	3.2%
Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,960	$28.60/hr	-5.6%
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	1,400	$25.47/hr	-4.0%
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand	120	$25.54/hr	-16.7%
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic	900	$22.52/hr	5.7%
Foundry Mold and Coremakers	470	$27.95/hr	-19.0%
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,130	$28.65/hr	1.9%

Task for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits.
Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions.
Grind, cut, buff, or bend edges of workpieces to be joined to ensure snug fit, using power grinders and hand tools.
Connect and turn regulator valves to activate and adjust gas flow and pressure so that desired flames are obtained.
Align and clamp workpieces together, using rules, squares, or hand tools, or position items in fixtures, jigs, or vises.
Prepare all material surfaces to be welded, ensuring that there is no loose or thick scale, slag, rust, moisture, grease, or other foreign matter.
Mark or tag material with proper job number, piece marks, and other identifying marks as required.
Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals.
Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques.
Melt and apply solder along adjoining edges of workpieces to solder joints, using soldering irons, gas torches, or electric-ultrasonic equipment.