Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Also called: Brazer, Solderer, Welder, WirerUse 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.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 2 of its 30 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 2.4% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.8% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Welding, soldering, and brazing workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.4 hires for every 10 job openings in durable goods manufacturing, which employs about 65% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $48,490 | $40,080 to $60,120 | 12,450 |
| Alaska | $80,840 | $61,280 to $98,500 | 790 |
| Arizona | $55,600 | $48,000 to $65,660 | 7,270 |
| Arkansas | $47,970 | $42,950 to $55,280 | 6,150 |
| California | $58,060 | $48,480 to $70,400 | 26,060 |
| Colorado | $58,590 | $47,860 to $69,540 | 4,970 |
| Connecticut | $64,880 | $49,240 to $81,590 | 1,790 |
| Delaware | $57,270 | $49,830 to $61,630 | 600 |
| District of Columbia | $60,180 | $50,110 to $75,580 | 280 |
| Florida | $50,640 | $46,460 to $60,600 | 16,420 |
| Georgia | $48,430 | $44,150 to $58,240 | 13,130 |
| Guam | $40,600 | $40,520 to $44,580 | 360 |
| Hawaii | $79,000 | $63,030 to $90,830 | 520 |
| Idaho | $50,530 | $46,120 to $59,350 | 3,300 |
| Illinois | $51,320 | $46,500 to $61,520 | 16,260 |
| Indiana | $49,730 | $45,620 to $60,710 | 13,280 |
| Iowa | $55,090 | $48,250 to $60,200 | 9,270 |
| Kansas | $49,410 | $45,210 to $59,200 | 6,370 |
| Kentucky | $51,470 | $46,380 to $59,900 | 6,630 |
| Louisiana | $62,250 | $50,680 to $77,310 | 13,690 |
| Maine | $62,220 | $51,800 to $69,130 | 1,690 |
| Maryland | $60,310 | $48,150 to $77,810 | 2,850 |
| Massachusetts | $62,570 | $53,680 to $74,050 | 2,830 |
| Michigan | $49,990 | $46,520 to $59,190 | 13,330 |
| Minnesota | $60,280 | $50,960 to $65,410 | 9,270 |
| Mississippi | $51,100 | $41,000 to $63,440 | 6,460 |
| Missouri | $51,950 | $45,930 to $61,660 | 10,600 |
| Montana | $55,610 | $47,590 to $63,520 | 1,530 |
| Nebraska | $52,220 | $47,830 to $61,810 | 4,200 |
| Nevada | $61,520 | $48,700 to $76,670 | 1,600 |
| New Hampshire | $62,360 | $50,620 to $74,420 | 1,110 |
| New Jersey | $59,440 | $49,870 to $71,060 | 3,730 |
| New Mexico | $59,840 | $44,750 to $82,550 | 2,390 |
| New York | $59,140 | $49,050 to $71,960 | 8,310 |
| North Carolina | $50,590 | $45,400 to $60,870 | 11,750 |
| North Dakota | $62,000 | $54,660 to $72,560 | 2,590 |
| Ohio | $50,340 | $45,750 to $59,510 | 20,330 |
| Oklahoma | $49,720 | $44,920 to $60,790 | 9,960 |
| Oregon | $59,450 | $49,690 to $66,570 | 5,240 |
| Pennsylvania | $52,900 | $47,240 to $61,920 | 17,850 |
| Puerto Rico | $30,220 | $27,660 to $33,840 | 1,680 |
| Rhode Island | $50,580 | $50,580 to $68,260 | 2,300 |
| South Carolina | $49,980 | $45,230 to $58,370 | 7,380 |
| South Dakota | $49,440 | $45,710 to $59,360 | 3,250 |
| Tennessee | $48,040 | $41,600 to $57,450 | 12,510 |
| Texas | $53,340 | $45,750 to $64,770 | 52,000 |
| Utah | $58,380 | $48,580 to $66,870 | 4,440 |
| Vermont | $60,890 | $51,190 to $65,490 | 340 |
| Virgin Islands | $46,270 | $45,090 to $72,170 | 60 |
| Virginia | $59,180 | $49,020 to $65,400 | 10,100 |
| Washington | $63,020 | $54,740 to $73,650 | 7,720 |
| West Virginia | $48,810 | $39,900 to $60,170 | 2,100 |
| Wisconsin | $58,410 | $50,320 to $62,220 | 15,320 |
| Wyoming | $63,820 | $56,380 to $78,890 | 1,850 |
Nationally: $53,750. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 2 of its 30 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits. | Not published |
| Not much | Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions. | Not published |
| Not much | Recognize, set up, and operate hand and power tools common to the welding trade, such as shielded metal arc and gas metal arc welding equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine workpieces for defects and measure workpieces with straightedges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare all material surfaces to be welded, ensuring that there is no loose or thick scale, slag, rust, moisture, grease, or other foreign matter. | Not published |
See all 30 tasks
| Not much | Mark or tag material with proper job number, piece marks, and other identifying marks as required. | Not published |
| Not much | Position and secure workpieces, using hoists, cranes, wire, and banding machines or hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Monitor the fitting, burning, and welding processes to avoid overheating of parts or warping, shrinking, distortion, or expansion of material. | Not published |
| Not much | Chip or grind off excess weld, slag, or spatter, using hand scrapers or power chippers, portable grinders, or arc-cutting equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Align and clamp workpieces together, using rules, squares, or hand tools, or position items in fixtures, jigs, or vises. | Not published |
| Not much | Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques. | Not published |
| Not much | Grind, cut, buff, or bend edges of workpieces to be joined to ensure snug fit, using power grinders and hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Connect and turn regulator valves to activate and adjust gas flow and pressure so that desired flames are obtained. | Not published |
| AI + software | Develop templates and models for welding projects, using mathematical calculations based on blueprint information. | Not published |
| AI + software | Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals. | Not published |
| Not much | Melt and apply solder along adjoining edges of workpieces to solder joints, using soldering irons, gas torches, or electric-ultrasonic equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Weld separately or in combination, using aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, and other alloys. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean or degrease parts, using wire brushes, portable grinders, or chemical baths. | Not published |
| Not much | Ignite torches or start power supplies and strike arcs by touching electrodes to metals being welded, completing electrical circuits. | Not published |
| Not much | Hammer out bulges or bends in metal workpieces. | Not published |
| Not much | Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses, and hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Check grooves, angles, or gap allowances, using micrometers, calipers, and precision measuring instruments. | Not published |
| Not much | Melt and apply solder to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products, using soldering equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Preheat workpieces prior to welding or bending, using torches or heating furnaces. | Not published |
| Not much | Guide and direct flames or electrodes on or across workpieces to straighten, bend, melt, or build up metal. | Not published |
| Not much | Set up and use ladders and scaffolding as necessary to complete work. | Not published |
| Not much | Use fire suppression methods in industrial emergencies. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate metal shaping, straightening, and bending machines, such as brakes and shears. | Not published |
| Not much | Analyze engineering drawings, blueprints, specifications, sketches, work orders, and material safety data sheets to plan layout, assembly, and operations. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. O*NET hasn't rated 1 of the tasks, so they come last, in O*NET's own order. 0 of the 30 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 30 tasks fall under 24 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- #37 Determine operational methods or procedures
- #38 Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Join parts using soldering, welding, or brazing techniques | |||
| Prepare industrial materials for processing or use | |||
| Shape materials to create products | |||
| Operate cutting or grinding equipment | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Cut materials | |||
| Monitor equipment operation |
Show all 24 activities
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Determine operational methods or procedures | |||
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Design materials or devices | |||
| Maintain safety or security | |||
| Repair workpieces or products | |||
| Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Mark materials or objects for identification | |||
| Notify others of emergencies or problems | |||
| Disassemble equipment | |||
| Build structures | |||
| Position materials or components for assembly | |||
| Protect people or property from threats such as fires or flooding | |||
| Position workpieces or materials on equipment | |||
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 35,143 moves out
- 1 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 7%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 3 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 4 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 3%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers High +1.8% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 28,256 moves in
- 1 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 5%
- 2 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 5%
- 3 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 5 Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators Low +1.5% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 21% less than high school
- 54% high school
- 12% postsecondary certificate
- 11% some college
- 2% associate's
- 1% bachelor's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 43 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 16% less than high school
- 49% high school
- 23% some college
- 9% associate's
- 2% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Welding, soldering, and brazing workers” · 5,861 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Welding, soldering, and brazing workers”
2 programs: Welding Engineering Technology/Technician and Welding Technology/Welder.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
45.1% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 3.8% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 20.4% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | 10.1% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 7 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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