Skilled Wages

Welder salary in Texas

Median $25.64 an hour for 52,000 welders, cutters, solderers and brazers, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$25.64/hrMedian hourly wageTexas, May data
$53,340/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$18.45 – $38.5810th to 90th percentilehourly range
52,000Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-09-28

Welder pay in Texas: the full range

Wage percentiles, TexasMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50/hrTexas: 10th $18.45 · 25th $21.99 · median $25.64 · 75th $31.14 · 90th $38.58Texas$25.64$18.45$38.58United States: 10th $18.87 · 25th $22.50 · median $25.84 · 75th $30.29 · 90th $37.28United States$25.84
Hourly wage percentiles for welders, cutters, solderers and brazers: Texas vs United States, May 2025.

Texas ranks 29th of 51 states for median welder pay, and 32nd once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $26.41). 52,000 welders, cutters, solderers and brazers work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$18.45 – $21.99$38,380 – $45,750roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$21.99 – $31.14$45,750 – $64,770the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$31.14 – $38.58$64,770 – $80,240the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Welder pay by metro in Texas

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrOdessa: $30.51Odessa$30.51Midland: $29.53Midland$29.53Corpus Christi: $28.58Corpus Christi$28.58Beaumont: $28.46Beaumont$28.46Austin: $28.39Austin$28.39Houston: $27.86Houston$27.86Amarillo: $26.66Amarillo$26.66Sherman: $26.45Sherman$26.45College Station: $25.39College Station$25.39Longview: $25.14Longview$25.14Dallas-Fort Worth: $24.82Dallas-Fort Worth$24.82Wichita Falls: $23.56Wichita Falls$23.56
Median hourly wage for welders, cutters, solderers and brazers by metro area in Texas, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Odessa$20.47$30.51$40.4379019% above
Midland$20.88$29.53$43.0281015% above
Corpus Christi$18.45$28.58$36.601,28011% above
Beaumont$19.27$28.46$40.231,98011% above
Austin$18.95$28.39$36.572,21011% above
Houston$18.50$27.86$39.3915,8509% above
Amarillo$17.66$26.66$35.676204% above
Sherman$18.35$26.45$35.162903% above
College Station$18.84$25.39$37.113301% below
Longview$18.61$25.14$34.801,2702% below
Dallas-Fort Worth$18.85$24.82$36.9810,6203% below
Wichita Falls$17.29$23.56$30.402308% below
Victoria$18.67$23.35$34.011609% below
Killeen$18.23$23.30$34.964009% below
San Antonio$18.38$23.18$35.482,51010% below
Abilene$17.25$23.16$32.5129010% below
Lubbock$17.12$22.48$34.0150012% below
San Angelo$17.81$22.33$29.8527013% below
Waco$18.39$22.30$30.1863013% below
Laredo$15.97$21.81$34.0810015% below
Brownsville$14.54$21.64$36.8865016% below
El Paso$14.12$21.63$30.8965016% below
Tyler$18.55$20.72$32.8155019% below
Texarkana$15.86$20.15$29.8059021% below
McAllen$13.54$19.09$30.0635026% below

Welder wages in Texas over time

Texas, 1999-2025TexasUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$15$20$25$30200020052010201520202025$25.84United States$25.64Texas
Median hourly wage for welders, cutters, solderers and brazers, Texas vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearTexas $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$11.95$23.09$12.5829,210
2000$12.49$23.35$13.1335,910
2001$12.85$23.36$13.7036,210
2002$13.22$23.66$14.0236,740
2003$13.22$23.13$14.2538,230
2004$13.28$22.63$14.7237,560
2005$13.50$22.25$14.9039,210
2006$13.88$22.17$15.1044,560
2007$14.71$22.84$15.5150,280
2008$15.82$23.66$16.1353,530
2009$16.40$24.61$16.7149,880
2010$16.78$24.77$17.0444,380
2011$16.82$24.07$17.2742,970
2012$17.01$23.85$17.4546,760
2013$17.29$23.89$17.6647,040
2014$17.95$24.41$17.9952,130
2015$18.84$25.59$18.3455,020
2016$19.88$26.67$18.9453,790
2017$20.33$26.70$19.3549,510
2018$20.87$26.76$19.8950,120
2019$21.23$26.73$20.4350,790
2020$21.76$27.07$21.2548,940
2021$22.99$27.31$22.6046,580
2022$23.16$25.48$22.8648,380
2023$23.32$24.64$23.5352,820
2024$23.96$24.59$24.5256,650
2025$25.64$25.64$25.8452,000

In today's dollars, the median welder wage in Texas changed by +0.2% over the last ten years of data.

Is construction work growing in Texas?

929.9kConstruction jobsTexas, 2026-08
+2.2%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026200k400k600k800k1,000k19901995200020052010201520202025930kAug 2026
Construction employment in Texas (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Welder pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Texas

Questions this page answers

How much do welders make in Texas?

The median welder in Texas earned $25.64 an hour ($53,340 a year) in May 2025, 1% below the national median of $25.84. The middle half earn $21.99–$31.14; the top 10% earn more than $38.58.

Where does Texas rank for welder pay?

Texas ranks 29th of 51 states for welder pay, with a median of $25.64 an hour, and 32nd after adjusting for Texas's cost of living (BEA price parity 97.1, US = 100).

What is the union welder rate in Texas?

Davis-Bacon determinations do not list a welder classification for most Texas counties, or the trade is not covered; the BLS wage figures above are the best available measure.

How many welders work in Texas?

BLS counted 52,000 welders, cutters, solderers and brazers in Texas in May 2025, 3.7 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.38; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Texas and metro areas, SOC 51-4121.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-08.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Not the official determination.