Firefighters vs Welders
Firefighters earns $5,530 more at the middle. Every figure is US government data you can check.
| Firefighters | Welders | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay in the middle median annual wage, May 2025 | $59,280 | $53,750 |
| Pay range 10th to 90th percentile | $34,910 to $101,040 | $39,240 to $77,530 |
| Years of school you pay for our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Typical entry education | Postsecondary nondegree award | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Jobs opening up each year | 26,800 | 40,300 |
| Growth by 2035 | 3.7% | 2.4% |
| People doing it now | 355,300 | 437,700 |
| Where the pay is highest and lowest state medians, not adjusted for cost of living or taxes | $100,960 in New York down to $33,120 in Louisiana | $80,840 in Alaska down to $47,970 in Arkansas |
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Jobs that use what you already know
Same skills, same knowledge, same daily tasks. Most of these are not on this site.
Firefighters
- First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers
- Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists
- Fire Inspectors and Investigators
- Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineers
- Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers
- Emergency Medical Technicians
What these usually take: A trade school course, an associate's degree, or one to two years on the job.
Welders
- Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers
- Engine and Other Machine Assemblers
- Boilermakers
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers
What these usually take: High school, then a few months to a year of on-the-job training.
O*NET 30.3 Database, U.S. Department of Labor. These are jobs that use similar skills, knowledge and daily tasks. It is a measure of how alike two jobs are — not a record of people moving between them.
Jobs that take more training than this one
A job zone is the U.S. Department of Labor’s published measure of how much preparation a job takes. It says nothing about pay.
Firefighters
- Fire-Prevention and Protection EngineersUsually a four-year degree, plus a few years of experience.
- Occupational Health and Safety SpecialistsUsually a four-year degree, plus a few years of experience.
Welders
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related RepairersA trade school course, an associate's degree, or one to two years on the job.
- Tool and Die MakersA trade school course, an associate's degree, or one to two years on the job.
O*NET 30.3 Database and O*NET Job Zones, U.S. Department of Labor. A job zone is a published measure of how much preparation an occupation takes, not a measure of pay or of whether a job is better. Pay differences are BLS median annual wages, May 2025, and are shown only where both jobs are on this site.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational employment and wage data, May 2025, and employment projections 2025-35. Years of school is our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure. State medians are not adjusted for cost of living or taxes, and that difference could be large either way. No advice, just data.