Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $27K, rent takes 33.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $663/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders typically earn — is $25K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,507/month. At HUD’s $663/month FMR, rent would take 44% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 44% below the national median — $27K here vs. $48K nationally.

San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas pays $27K median vs. the U.S. average of $48K — that’s -44%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 100), the purchasing-power equivalent is $27K — below the national median.

The median is $26,980 a year, that works out to about $13 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $25,120, and experienced welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders can clear $47,990. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,976/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $663/month, which eats 33.6% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders salary is worth about $26,980 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.