Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

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

Occupational Description:
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.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2025

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Southeast Minnesota	30	8	$25.35/hr	$22.01/hr	$22.48/hr	$22.88/hr	$28.98/hr	$29.96/hr

Leading Industries for Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Natural Resources and Mining	N/A	N/A
Manufacturing	280	$27.52/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	N/A	N/A
Professional and Business Services	30	$23.11/hr

Other Regional Data for Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Southwest Minnesota	N/A	N/A	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	N/A	N/A	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	20	$32.08/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	20	$22.49/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	30	$22.88/hr	-11.7%
Central Minnesota	50	$29.99/hr	5.2%
Northeast Minnesota	60	$40.57/hr	N/A
Northwest Balance of State	60	$22.96/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	70	$23.03/hr	4.7%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	150	$27.53/hr	-7.5%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	190	$27.53/hr	N/A
Minnesota	360	$28.26/hr	-4.6%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers	9,420	$28.71/hr	6.1%
Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers	N/A	$25.08/hr	1.4%
Helpers--Production Workers	3,040	$20.65/hr	-6.3%
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand	140	$24.70/hr	-16.7%
Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,950	$27.26/hr	-5.6%
Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	150	$28.26/hr	-6.0%
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood	850	$23.91/hr	3.2%
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	1,330	$27.58/hr	1.9%
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	5,570	$24.90/hr	-3.5%
Machine Feeders and Offbearers	400	$24.18/hr	1.7%

Task for Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Select torch tips, alloys, flux, coil, tubing, or wire, according to metal types or thicknesses, data charts, or records.
Set up, operate, or tend welding machines that join or bond components to fabricate metal products or assemblies.
Assemble, align, and clamp workpieces into holding fixtures to bond, heat-treat, or solder fabricated metal components.
Set dials and timing controls to regulate electrical current, gas flow pressure, heating or cooling cycles, or shut-off.
Read blueprints, work orders, or production schedules to determine product or job instructions or specifications.
Inspect, measure, or test completed metal workpieces to ensure conformance to specifications, using measuring and testing devices.
Lay out, fit, or connect parts to be bonded, calculating production measurements, as necessary.
Prepare metal surfaces or workpieces, using hand-operated equipment, such as grinders, cutters, or drills.
Clean, lubricate, maintain, and adjust equipment to maintain efficient operation, using air hoses, cleaning fluids, and hand tools.
Record operational information on specified production reports.