Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (SOC 51-4122) earn a median $47,920 a year ($23.04 an hour) in the United States, with 31,600 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Arizona.
What welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders do
Welding, soldering, and brazing machine operators run automated or semi-automated equipment that joins metal parts, rather than guiding a torch by hand. Laser-beam machines and robots are among the equipment, and the SOC definition also covers workers who operate laser cutters. The machine does the joining, whether by welding, brazing, soldering, or heat treating. Before a run, the operator reads the blueprint, work order, or schedule, selects the alloy, wire, flux, or torch tip suited to the metal type and thickness, and loads the parts. During the run they correct problems by adjusting controls or stopping the machine and opening the holding devices. Welds are inspected, measured, or tested, and results go on production reports. Surfaces or workpieces may be prepared with hand-operated grinders, cutters, or drills, and parts are laid out, fitted, or connected before bonding.
Typical entry: According to O*NET, a post-secondary certificate is the most common level of education reported by workers in this occupation.
Also called: Aluminum Welder, Arc and Gas Welder, Arc Welding Machine Operator, Billet Assembler, Braze Operator.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $17.72 | $19.50 | $23.04 | $27.59 | $31.99 | $24.15 | 31,600 |
| Annual | $36,860 | $40,560 | $47,920 | $57,390 | $66,540 | $50,220 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Arizona | Hourly | $22.30 | $24.53 | $33.72 | $37.20 | $46.50 | $32.71 | 280 | 0.09 | 0.42 |
| Annual | $46,390 | $51,020 | $70,150 | $77,380 | $96,720 | $68,030 | ||||
| Alaska | Hourly | $30.00 | $30.00 | $30.14 | $31.07 | $45.94 | $33.71 | 50 | 0.15 | 0.71 |
| Annual | $62,400 | $62,400 | $62,700 | $64,630 | $95,560 | $70,110 | ||||
| Washington | Hourly | $19.64 | $22.89 | $28.36 | $30.69 | $45.78 | $29.04 | 50 | 0.01 | 0.07 |
| Annual | $40,860 | $47,610 | $58,990 | $63,830 | $95,210 | $60,410 | ||||
| Illinois | Hourly | $21.07 | $24.16 | $28.29 | $30.69 | $44.56 | $29.34 | 180 | 0.03 | 0.15 |
| Annual | $43,830 | $50,250 | $58,840 | $63,840 | $92,680 | $61,020 | ||||
| Oregon | Hourly | $21.40 | $23.33 | $28.20 | $33.84 | $39.04 | $28.95 | 250 | 0.13 | 0.63 |
| Annual | $44,510 | $48,530 | $58,650 | $70,390 | $81,200 | $60,220 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Michigan | Hourly | $17.06 | $17.89 | $20.45 | $22.81 | $26.84 | $21.45 | 3,150 | 0.72 | 3.52 |
| Annual | $35,480 | $37,200 | $42,530 | $47,450 | $55,830 | $44,610 | ||||
| Indiana | Hourly | $17.75 | $18.61 | $21.14 | $23.09 | $30.00 | $22.85 | 2,840 | 0.89 | 4.36 |
| Annual | $36,910 | $38,700 | $43,960 | $48,030 | $62,400 | $47,520 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $19.29 | $21.53 | $23.53 | $27.86 | $33.54 | $25.56 | 2,290 | 0.13 | 0.62 |
| Annual | $40,130 | $44,770 | $48,940 | $57,950 | $69,760 | $53,170 | ||||
| Ohio | Hourly | $18.13 | $20.20 | $23.17 | $28.63 | $33.12 | $24.58 | 2,190 | 0.40 | 1.94 |
| Annual | $37,710 | $42,020 | $48,190 | $59,560 | $68,880 | $51,130 | ||||
| Tennessee | Hourly | $17.02 | $19.49 | $22.68 | $24.66 | $26.00 | $22.27 | 1,950 | 0.60 | 2.93 |
| Annual | $35,400 | $40,540 | $47,180 | $51,290 | $54,080 | $46,330 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Tuscaloosa, AL | Hourly | $16.67 | $18.43 | $39.54 | $39.54 | $39.54 | $29.74 | 40 | 0.35 | 1.70 |
| Annual | $34,670 | $38,330 | $82,250 | $82,250 | $82,250 | $61,860 | ||||
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | Hourly | $22.80 | $25.42 | $36.15 | $38.63 | $46.50 | $33.54 | 230 | 0.10 | 0.48 |
| Annual | $47,420 | $52,880 | $75,200 | $80,350 | $96,720 | $69,770 | ||||
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | Hourly | $14.93 | $20.81 | $36.02 | $39.34 | $43.36 | $30.59 | 60 | 0.13 | 0.64 |
| Annual | $31,050 | $43,290 | $74,910 | $81,820 | $90,190 | $63,620 | ||||
| Charleston-North Charleston, SC | Hourly | $17.99 | $18.83 | $32.00 | $35.85 | $35.85 | $28.43 | 40 | 0.11 | 0.56 |
| Annual | $37,410 | $39,170 | $66,570 | $74,570 | $74,570 | $59,140 | ||||
| Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | Hourly | $21.34 | $26.42 | $30.95 | $37.99 | $37.99 | $31.45 | 40 | 0.33 | 1.63 |
| Annual | $44,380 | $54,950 | $64,380 | $79,020 | $79,020 | $65,410 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | Hourly | $16.75 | $17.69 | $21.18 | $23.64 | $29.09 | $22.34 | 1,190 | 0.62 | 3.07 |
| Annual | $34,830 | $36,790 | $44,060 | $49,170 | $60,510 | $46,470 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $18.79 | $20.52 | $22.11 | $24.50 | $30.05 | $23.75 | 830 | 0.13 | 0.65 |
| Annual | $39,080 | $42,670 | $45,990 | $50,960 | $62,510 | $49,390 | ||||
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | Hourly | $17.06 | $18.18 | $20.08 | $22.69 | $24.11 | $20.61 | 730 | 1.21 | 5.96 |
| Annual | $35,480 | $37,820 | $41,760 | $47,180 | $50,160 | $42,860 | ||||
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | Hourly | $18.02 | $19.12 | $24.66 | $25.02 | $25.02 | $22.89 | 720 | 0.65 | 3.20 |
| Annual | $37,470 | $39,780 | $51,290 | $52,050 | $52,050 | $47,610 | ||||
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | Hourly | $18.42 | $24.07 | $26.20 | $28.99 | $35.86 | $26.80 | 700 | 0.21 | 1.05 |
| Annual | $38,310 | $50,060 | $54,500 | $60,300 | $74,580 | $55,740 | ||||
Top industries employing welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing employ 13.5% of welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders nationally (4,270 jobs) at a median $43,130 a year ($20.74 an hour), followed by Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) (12.6%) and Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) (12.2%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing NAICS 336300 | 4,270 | 13.5% | $43,130 | $20.74 |
| Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) NAICS 3330A1 | 3,980 | 12.6% | $50,850 | $24.45 |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) NAICS 3320A2 | 3,850 | 12.2% | $50,470 | $24.26 |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) NAICS 3320A1 | 2,610 | 8.3% | $48,930 | $23.52 |
| Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing NAICS 334400 | 1,930 | 6.1% | $45,280 | $21.77 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (31,600). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $38,580 for welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders in May 2021 and $47,920 in May 2025, with employment of 29,980 and 31,600.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $38,580 | $18.55 | 29,980 |
| May 2022 | $44,920 | $21.60 | 30,940 |
| May 2023 | $45,350 | $21.80 | 33,020 |
| May 2024 | $47,060 | $22.62 | 36,290 |
| May 2025 | $47,920 | $23.04 | 31,600 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
44 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona profile | $33.72 | $70,150 | $46,390 | $96,720 | 280 | 0.09 | 0.42 |
| 2 | Alaska profile | $30.14 | $62,700 | $62,400 | $95,560 | 50 | 0.15 | 0.71 |
| 3 | Washington profile | $28.36 | $58,990 | $40,860 | $95,210 | 50 | 0.01 | 0.07 |
| 4 | Illinois profile | $28.29 | $58,840 | $43,830 | $92,680 | 180 | 0.03 | 0.15 |
| 5 | Oregon profile | $28.20 | $58,650 | $44,510 | $81,200 | 250 | 0.13 | 0.63 |
| 6 | Wisconsin profile | $27.71 | $57,640 | $44,370 | $67,730 | 1,150 | 0.39 | 1.92 |
| 7 | Minnesota profile | $27.67 | $57,560 | $44,640 | $76,880 | 670 | 0.23 | 1.11 |
| 8 | Nebraska profile | $27.54 | $57,280 | $48,210 | $66,540 | 650 | 0.64 | 3.13 |
| 9 | Missouri profile | $27.02 | $56,210 | $40,440 | $71,090 | 560 | 0.19 | 0.94 |
| 10 | New Jersey profile | $25.81 | $53,680 | $36,620 | $64,860 | 510 | 0.12 | 0.58 |
| 11 | South Dakota profile | $25.25 | $52,520 | $43,620 | $61,370 | 150 | 0.33 | 1.61 |
| 12 | New York profile | $25.04 | $52,080 | $40,660 | $77,140 | 740 | 0.08 | 0.37 |
| 13 | Iowa profile | $24.88 | $51,740 | $42,950 | $62,330 | 1,310 | 0.84 | 4.12 |
| 14 | Texas profile | $24.67 | $51,310 | $35,970 | $72,440 | 1,750 | 0.12 | 0.61 |
| 15 | Idaho profile | $24.45 | $50,850 | $38,320 | $70,160 | 100 | 0.11 | 0.55 |
| 16 | Kentucky profile | $24.39 | $50,740 | $39,410 | $66,850 | 1,000 | 0.50 | 2.46 |
| 17 | Massachusetts profile | $24.27 | $50,480 | $38,580 | $66,630 | 480 | 0.13 | 0.65 |
| 18 | Rhode Island profile | $24.06 | $50,040 | $41,260 | $65,800 | 160 | 0.32 | 1.58 |
| 19 | Colorado profile | $23.97 | $49,860 | $40,930 | $64,970 | 100 | 0.03 | 0.17 |
| 20 | Virginia profile | $23.64 | $49,160 | $37,470 | $62,510 | 410 | 0.10 | 0.49 |
| 21 | California profile | $23.53 | $48,940 | $40,130 | $69,760 | 2,290 | 0.13 | 0.62 |
| 22 | Louisiana profile | $23.43 | $48,740 | $31,050 | $81,810 | 320 | 0.16 | 0.81 |
| 23 | Maine profile | $23.28 | $48,410 | $45,100 | $57,930 | 60 | 0.10 | 0.49 |
| 24 | Ohio profile | $23.17 | $48,190 | $37,710 | $68,880 | 2,190 | 0.40 | 1.94 |
| 25 | Connecticut profile | $23.03 | $47,900 | $37,680 | $76,260 | 590 | 0.35 | 1.72 |
| 26 | Nevada profile | $23.01 | $47,870 | $33,830 | $77,690 | 170 | 0.11 | 0.54 |
| 27 | North Carolina profile | $22.87 | $47,580 | $36,600 | $65,680 | 820 | 0.17 | 0.82 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania profile | $22.85 | $47,530 | $37,940 | $63,100 | 1,120 | 0.18 | 0.91 |
| 29 | New Hampshire profile | $22.84 | $47,500 | $40,080 | $60,700 | 290 | 0.42 | 2.08 |
| 30 | Tennessee profile | $22.68 | $47,180 | $35,400 | $54,080 | 1,950 | 0.60 | 2.93 |
| 31 | Maryland profile | $22.65 | $47,110 | $36,080 | $65,130 | 430 | 0.16 | 0.77 |
| 32 | Arkansas profile | $22.54 | $46,880 | $35,720 | $59,530 | 210 | 0.17 | 0.81 |
| 33 | Kansas profile | $22.46 | $46,710 | $38,060 | $67,370 | 160 | 0.11 | 0.55 |
| 34 | West Virginia profile | $22.34 | $46,460 | $37,160 | $78,080 | 120 | 0.17 | 0.84 |
| 35 | South Carolina profile | $22.24 | $46,260 | $36,180 | $69,770 | 340 | 0.15 | 0.73 |
| 36 | Georgia profile | $22.04 | $45,850 | $36,770 | $59,310 | 840 | 0.17 | 0.85 |
| 37 | Indiana profile | $21.14 | $43,960 | $36,910 | $62,400 | 2,840 | 0.89 | 4.36 |
| 38 | Michigan profile | $20.45 | $42,530 | $35,480 | $55,830 | 3,150 | 0.72 | 3.52 |
| 39 | Florida profile | $19.92 | $41,420 | $36,870 | $56,380 | 740 | 0.07 | 0.36 |
| 40 | Utah profile | $19.52 | $40,600 | $34,850 | $52,710 | 120 | 0.07 | 0.33 |
| 41 | Oklahoma profile | $19.42 | $40,400 | $36,590 | $51,590 | 460 | 0.27 | 1.33 |
| 42 | Alabama profile | $19.25 | $40,050 | $30,230 | $60,410 | 1,250 | 0.59 | 2.91 |
| 43 | Mississippi profile | $17.98 | $37,390 | $33,470 | $57,820 | 480 | 0.41 | 2.03 |
| 44 | Montana profile | $17.15 | $35,670 | $29,790 | $63,140 | ** | ** | ** |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (51-4120), with their national median annual wage.
Part of Production Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 51-4122 Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 51-4122, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 51-4122.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.