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Salary Guides / Texas
Welder Salary in Texas
This guide breaks the Texas market for Welders down by level, by sector and by certification, using rates our editorial team verified against live postings during 2026. Rates move with the sector you work in far more than with the city you live in, so the sector table below matters more than the headline number.
What welders earn in Texas
This guide covers what welders are actually paid in Texas — hourly rather than salaried, because that is how the work is priced. The bands below separate the three rungs of the trade, so an apprentice rate is never averaged against a master rate to produce a number neither of them earns.
Every figure is a market estimate built from live postings and reported pay. Treat it as the starting point for a conversation about your rate, not as an offer.
Hourly rates by level in Texas
What Drives Welder Pay in Texas
Three things move a Welder rate in Texas more than anything else: the sector you work in, the licence you hold, and how much of the year you spend on turnaround or shutdown work. Industrial and petrochemical maintenance consistently pays the highest hourly figures in the state, but it buys that premium with twelve-hour shifts and long stretches away from home.
Data-centre and mission-critical construction has become the second strongest payer as build-out accelerated through 2025 and 2026, though the work is project-based and ends when the shell is energised. Utility and infrastructure work sits slightly lower on the hourly figure but is far more predictable, and a large share of it falls under prevailing wage rules that put a floor under what a contractor can offer.
Residential and light commercial service work pays the least per hour in almost every market, but it is also the easiest sector to enter without a licence and the one most willing to train an apprentice from scratch. If you are early in your career, the lower rate often buys faster hours toward your licence, which is worth more over five years than the difference in pay this year.
Where do you stand?
Enter your hourly rate to see how it compares to other Welders in Texas.
What are you making?
Type your hourly rate. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere — it stays in your browser.
Use your base rate, not what you take home after overtime.
You're right around the middle
$27.00 is above roughly 53% of this market. The top quarter starts at $35.00, and the median sits at $26.00.
Build your rate
Pick your level, add certifications, select shift — the estimate updates live.
1Your level
2Certifications you hold
3Shift & work type
4Overtime & per diem
Who pays the most in Texas
Same licence, same state, very different money.
Industrial & plant
Refineries, chemical plants and power generation. The highest rates in the trade, paid for shutdown schedules and a much heavier safety burden.
Data centre & mission critical
Hyperscale builds and critical-facility retrofits. Schedule-driven work with real premiums for anyone who has done it before.
Commercial construction
Which states pay welders the most
Median hourly across every state with a published guide for this trade. Cost of living is not netted out — compare take-home, not just the rate.
What each certification is worth
Sorted by payback speed.
| Certification | Rate bump | Extra / year | Cost | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OSHA 10 | +$0.75 | $1,560 | $89 | 3 weeks |
| OSHA 30 | +$2 | $4,160 | $189 | 3 weeks |
| First Aid / CPR | +$0.50 | $1,040 | $75 | 4 weeks |
| Aerial Lift / Forklift | +$1.25 | $2,600 | $250 |
What overtime actually adds
At $25.71/hr.
Questions workers ask
How much does a licence change my pay in Texas?▾
Should I chase overtime or a higher base rate?▾
See Open Welder Jobs in Texas
Verified positions matching this trade and location.
Figures compiled by the American Recruits editorial team from live postings and employer interviews, reviewed September 2026.
Last updated September 3, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.