Welder vs Electrician: pay, outlook, education and work, side by side.
Every row comes from one named source and says which career leads on that one dimension. There is no overall score.
Welder vs Electrician: BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 51-4121 and 47-2111). The national median annual wage is $53,750 for welders and $63,190 for electricians (BLS, May 2025). BLS projects national employment to change +2.4% for welders and +9.2% for electricians from 2025 to 2035. Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent vs High school diploma or equivalent. Which fits better depends on what you value; the table shows who leads on each dimension, with no overall winner.
Side by side
Data Differences smaller than a stated threshold read “About the same” (pay 5%, growth 2 points, openings 10%, one education level, ORS 10 points, O*NET 0.2).
Pick what matters to you; the matching rows are highlighted. Nothing is combined into a score.
| Dimension · source | WelderSOC 51-4121 | ElectricianSOC 47-2111 | Leads on this dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wageBLS OEWS, May 2025 (national) | $53,750 | $63,190 | Electrician |
| EmploymentBLS OEWS, May 2025 | 416,210 | 757,220 | Not ranked |
| Projected employment change, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) | +2.4% | +9.2% | Electrician |
| Projected numeric change in jobs, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) · A count, not a rate: it scales with the size of the occupation. | +10,300 jobs | +75,900 jobs | Not ranked |
| Projected openings (annual average)BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 | 40,300 a year | 72,700 a year | Electrician |
| Typical entry-level educationBLS Employment Projections · typical, not a legal requirement | High school diploma or equivalent | High school diploma or equivalent | About the same |
| Typical work experience in a related occupationBLS Employment Projections | None | None | About the same |
| Typical on-the-job trainingBLS Employment Projections | Moderate-term on-the-job training | Apprenticeship | Not ranked |
| Telework available (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS | less than 0.5% | less than 0.5% | About the same |
| No prior work experience required (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS | 46.9% | 75.1% | Electrician |
| Most common minimum education (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS · A different metric from BLS typical entry-level education. | High school diploma (56.7%) | High school diploma (82.0%) | Not ranked |
| Pressure level (O*NET, 1–5; lower = less)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.10 | 3.51 | Welder |
| Social-contact level (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context · not ranked: neither direction is better | 3.46 | 4.21 | Not ranked |
| Freedom to make decisions (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.31 | 4.50 | Electrician |
| Work styles O*NET rates most importantO*NET® 31.0 work styles (occupation ratings, not a personality test) | Dependability, Attention to Detail, Cautiousness | Dependability, Attention to Detail, Cautiousness | Not ranked |
Choose based on what matters to you
Data Each line restates a measured difference from the table; nothing here predicts how you will feel about a job.
- a lower-pressure work environment matters (3.10 vs 3.51)
- higher median pay matters most ($63,190 vs $53,750)
- faster projected national growth matters (+9.2% vs +2.4%)
- starting without prior experience matters (75.1% vs 46.9%)
- more decision-making freedom matters (4.50 vs 3.31)
Which skills each one leans on
Data O*NET 31.0 skill ratings: level (0–7) and importance.
Skill-profile match: 10% (similarity of the two O*NET skill profiles, importance × level; 100% = identical).
No skill is rated meaningfully higher than for Electrician.
- Repairing (+3.8 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Installation (+2.8 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Troubleshooting (+1.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Coordination (+1.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
What each career involves
Data Core tasks from O*NET 31.0.
Welder
- Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits.
- Examine workpieces for defects and measure workpieces with straightedges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications.
- Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions.
- Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors.
Electrician
- Prepare sketches or follow blueprints to determine the location of wiring or equipment and to ensure conformance to building and safety codes.
- Place conduit, pipes, or tubing, inside designated partitions, walls, or other concealed areas, and pull insulated wires or cables through the conduit to complete circuits between boxes.
- Work from ladders, scaffolds, or roofs to install, maintain, or repair electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures.
- Use a variety of tools or equipment, such as power construction equipment, measuring devices, power tools, and testing equipment, such as oscilloscopes, ammeters, or test lamps.
Largest employing industries
Data Share of all jobs in each occupation, BLS Employment Matrix 2025.
Welder
- Fabricated metal product manufacturing (25.7% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Machinery manufacturing (14.5% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Transportation equipment manufacturing (14.4% of all jobs in this occupation)
Electrician
- Specialty trade contractors (69.3% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals (3.0% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Administrative and support services (2.8% of all jobs in this occupation)
Moving between these careers
Data The comparison shows which; the career-change guides show how.
- Welder → Electrician: skills to build: Repairing, Installation, Troubleshooting. Careers after Welder
- Electrician → Welder: skills to build: no skill rated half a point higher. Careers after Electrician
Go deeper
Welder career hub · Welder salary · Welder how to become · Welder career change · Electrician career hub · Electrician salary · Electrician how to become · Electrician career change
Common questions
Which pays more, Welder or Electrician?
Which is growing faster?
Which is better?
How this page is built
BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 51-4121 and 47-2111). Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for each occupation's SOC code. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (growth, numeric change and annual openings are separate metrics). Requirements rows: 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, shown only when both roles have detailed-occupation estimates. Work environment: O*NET 31.0 work context. This page includes information from the 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. TryHired has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Searches this page answers include “welder vs electrician salary”, “electrician vs welder salary”, “welder salary vs electrician” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
- Any one employer's pay, schedule or culture.
- Job security, ease of hiring or work-life balance: these are not measured here.
- Which career you will prefer: the rows describe the occupations, not you.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 national projections (growth, openings, typical entry-level education and experience).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary: two of the third wave's samples, collected August 2023 to July 2025; released January 16, 2026), public domain.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (all jobs, including self-employed).