Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

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 2025

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Central Minnesota	1,930	99	$29.41/hr	$23.43/hr	$25.96/hr	$28.94/hr	$31.12/hr	$36.45/hr

Leading Industries for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Natural Resources and Mining	40	$28.78/hr
Construction	420	$36.05/hr
Manufacturing	7,500	$28.55/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	520	$29.63/hr
Financial Activities	N/A	N/A
Professional and Business Services	530	$26.86/hr
Education and Health Services	N/A	N/A
Leisure and Hospitality	N/A	N/A
Other Services	290	$26.80/hr
Public Administration	30	$37.75/hr

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

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	150	$27.49/hr	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	200	$26.15/hr	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	330	$25.08/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	340	$27.67/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	370	$28.78/hr	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	400	$27.41/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	460	$28.22/hr	6.3%
Fargo ND-MN MSA	690	$29.50/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	710	$29.54/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	750	$26.38/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	980	$27.88/hr	9.6%
Southwest Minnesota	1,000	$27.49/hr	5.8%
Northwest Balance of State	1,000	$24.95/hr	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	1,050	$28.54/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	1,060	$24.99/hr	9.1%
Central Minnesota	1,930	$28.94/hr	11.9%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	3,780	$29.42/hr	2.4%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	4,720	$29.49/hr	N/A
Minnesota	9,420	$28.71/hr	6.1%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	360	$28.26/hr	-4.6%
Helpers--Production Workers	3,040	$20.65/hr	-6.3%
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	5,570	$24.90/hr	-3.5%
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood	850	$23.91/hr	3.2%
Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,950	$27.26/hr	-5.6%
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	1,490	$24.04/hr	-4.0%
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand	140	$24.70/hr	-16.7%
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic	730	$22.04/hr	5.7%
Foundry Mold and Coremakers	390	$24.36/hr	-19.0%
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,330	$27.58/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.