Gas Pipeline Welder Salary
Gas, along with coal, is one of the elemental fuels that drives human production. It is used to generate electricity, provide heat and power industry. Gas pipeline welders are professionals involved in ensuring gas is supplied effectively and safely. They install and repair piping networks used for the distribution of natural gas, fusing metal components to create solid, leak-free transportation for the gas. Salary levels for the role are comparable with those for other welders working across the construction industry.
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Average Salary
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies gas pipeline welders alongside other welders working on different industrial projects, such as bridges and buildings, as well as their close colleagues solderers, cutters and brazers. It calculated that the mean yearly salary across the professions was $37,370, which equates to an hourly rate of $17.96. Those workers in the top 10 percent bracket earned a mean of over $53,690, while their contemporaries in the bottom 10 percent earned less than $23,940 per year.
Salary by Industry
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The bureau listed the mean annual salary for welders and their construction colleagues working in natural gas distribution as $59,230. This compares with a mean annual salary of $59,060 for welders employed within electric power generation, transmission and distribution, and $40,010 for those involved with ship and boat building.
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Salary by Location
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Location also impacts upon a gas pipeline welder’s salary level. The bureau listed Alaska as the area in which welders of all kinds were likely to secure the best compensation, with a mean annual wage of $66,260. Hawaii and Wyoming were also listed as comparatively lucrative locations, with respective means of $53,910 and $49,490. California and North Dakota had similar pay rates -- $39,390 and $38,840, respectively – while Oklahoma was among the states with the lowest pay levels, a mean of just $34,880.
Outlook
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects employment opportunities for welders of all kinds, including those specializing in gas pipeline work, to decline by around 2 percent over the decade from 2008 to 2018. This is in comparison with the expected growth rate for the country as a whole across all occupations, at 7 to 13 percent for the same period. Technological advancements will increase automation as well as raise the productivity of individual welders, thus stimulating the decline. As such, wage levels for the occupation are likely to remain fairly static at best over the coming years.
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References
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