Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
SOC 51-4122BLS OEWS May 2025
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.
National median · BLS
$47,920
▲ +1.83%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$50,220
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
31,600
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.
Pay range for Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$36,860
25th
$40,560
Median (50th)
$47,920
75th
$57,390
90th — top pay
$66,540
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
BLS projects employment of welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders to decline 8.9% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%.
About 2,500 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
32,900 → 30,000
-2,900 jobs
Projected change
-8.9%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
2,500
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
4.4% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders salaries by state
BLS state medians, plus the same figure adjusted for local prices (BEA Regional Price Parities). Tap a state for its full range and H-1B pay.
State
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders salaries by metro area
Search by city, ZIP code or metro name. Tap a metro for its full range.
Metro area
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Skills & tools
Skills needed for Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.
Top skills
Operations Monitoring3.4
Operation and Control3.3
Active Listening3.0
Complex Problem Solving3.0
Critical Thinking3.0
Monitoring3.0
Reading Comprehension3.0
Speaking3.0
Judgment and Decision Making2.8
Active Learning2.6
Top knowledge areas
Production and Processing3.8
Administration and Management3.5
Design3.1
Public Safety and Security2.9
English Language2.8
Mechanical2.8
Customer and Personal Service2.7
Engineering and Technology2.7
Software and technology used
LinuxMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft WordSAP softwareEmail softwareTool center point TCP setting software
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders do
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.
Record operational information on specified production reports.
Correct problems by adjusting controls or by stopping machines and opening holding devices.
Set up, operate, or tend welding machines that join or bond components to fabricate metal products or assemblies.
Select torch tips, alloys, flux, coil, tubing, or wire, according to metal types or thicknesses, data charts, or records.
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.
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $47,920.
