Production
Welders & Cutters
SOC 51-4121
Join metal parts with heat, working from drawings on everything from pipes to ships.
The job
Median pay
$54k
$47k to $63k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
+2.4% projected
Openings a year
40k
BLS projection
Typical education
High school plus cert
Our model
AI displacement risk
Low
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
12/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
9th pct
More exposed than 9% of occupations · modeled estimate · 22nd pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
48/100
Key skills
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 52,000 | 3.7 | 1.4× | $53k |
| California | 26,060 | 1.4 | 0.5× | $58k |
| Ohio | 20,330 | 3.7 | 1.4× | $50k |
| Pennsylvania | 17,850 | 2.9 | 1.1× | $53k |
| Florida | 16,420 | 1.7 | 0.6× | $51k |
| Illinois | 16,260 | 2.7 | 1.0× | $51k |
| Wisconsin | 15,320 | 5.2 | 1.9× | $58k |
| Louisiana | 13,690 | 7.1 | 2.6× | $62k |
| Michigan | 13,330 | 3.0 | 1.1× | $50k |
| Indiana | 13,280 | 4.1 | 1.6× | $50k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 13,130 | 2.7 | 1.0× | $48k |
| Tennessee | 12,510 | 3.8 | 1.4× | $48k |
| Alabama | 12,450 | 5.9 | 2.2× | $48k |
| North Carolina | 11,750 | 2.4 | 0.9× | $51k |
| Missouri | 10,600 | 3.6 | 1.4× | $52k |
| Virginia | 10,100 | 2.5 | 0.9× | $59k |
| Oklahoma | 9,960 | 5.8 | 2.2× | $50k |
| Iowa | 9,270 | 5.9 | 2.2× | $55k |
| Minnesota | 9,270 | 3.1 | 1.2× | $60k |
| New York | 8,310 | 0.9 | 0.3× | $59k |
| Washington | 7,720 | 2.2 | 0.8× | $63k |
| South Carolina | 7,380 | 3.2 | 1.2× | $50k |
| Arizona | 7,270 | 2.2 | 0.8× | $56k |
| Kentucky | 6,630 | 3.3 | 1.2× | $51k |
| Mississippi | 6,460 | 5.6 | 2.1× | $51k |
| Kansas | 6,370 | 4.4 | 1.7× | $49k |
| Arkansas | 6,150 | 4.7 | 1.8× | $48k |
| Oregon | 5,240 | 2.7 | 1.0× | $59k |
| Colorado | 4,970 | 1.7 | 0.7× | $59k |
| Utah | 4,440 | 2.6 | 1.0× | $58k |
| Nebraska | 4,200 | 4.1 | 1.5× | $52k |
| New Jersey | 3,730 | 0.9 | 0.3× | $59k |
| Idaho | 3,300 | 3.8 | 1.4× | $51k |
| South Dakota | 3,250 | 7.1 | 2.6× | $49k |
| Maryland | 2,850 | 1.0 | 0.4× | $60k |
| Massachusetts | 2,830 | 0.8 | 0.3× | $63k |
| North Dakota | 2,590 | 6.0 | 2.3× | $62k |
| New Mexico | 2,390 | 2.7 | 1.0× | $60k |
| Rhode Island | 2,300 | 4.6 | 1.7× | $51k |
| West Virginia | 2,100 | 3.0 | 1.1× | $49k |
| Wyoming | 1,850 | 6.6 | 2.5× | $64k |
| Connecticut | 1,790 | 1.1 | 0.4× | $65k |
| Maine | 1,690 | 2.6 | 1.0× | $62k |
| Nevada | 1,600 | 1.0 | 0.4× | $62k |
| Montana | 1,530 | 3.0 | 1.1× | $56k |
| New Hampshire | 1,110 | 1.6 | 0.6× | $62k |
| Alaska | 790 | 2.4 | 0.9× | $81k |
| Delaware | 600 | 1.2 | 0.5× | $57k |
| Hawaii | 520 | 0.8 | 0.3× | $79k |
| Vermont | 340 | 1.1 | 0.4× | $61k |
| Washington DC | 280 | 0.4 | 0.1× | $60k |
Top metro areas
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX15,850 jobs · $58k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX10,620 jobs · $52k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN9,320 jobs · $53k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA7,850 jobs · $56k median
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ5,780 jobs · $62k median
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ5,440 jobs · $57k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA5,240 jobs · $50k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD4,630 jobs · $58k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Welders & Cutters interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.