Welder salary in Texas
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Welders in Texas earn a median of $53,340 a year, or $25.64 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $80,240. Texas ranks 29th of 51 states and DC for welder pay, at 1% less than the U.S. median of $53,750.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $18.45/hr
- Jobs in Texas
- 52,000
- After cost of living
- $54,960
- Median hourly pay
- $25.64/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −1%
- Rank among states
- 29th of 51
Entry-level to top welder pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Entry level | $38,380–$45,750$18.45–$21.99/hr | |
| Experienced welder | $53,340$25.64/hr | |
| Top earners | $64,770–$80,240$31.14–$38.58/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Texas compares
- Welders are more concentrated in Texas than nationally: 3.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.4 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $80,240, is 2.1 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,380: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Pay by metro area
- Odessa$63,470
- Midland$61,410
- Corpus Christi$59,450
- Beaumont–Port Arthur$59,190
- Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos$59,040
- Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands$57,940
- Amarillo$55,460
- Sherman–Denison$55,020
See all Texas metro areas
- College Station–Bryan$52,800
- Longview$52,300
- Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington$51,630
- Wichita Falls$49,010
- Victoria$48,580
- Killeen–Temple$48,460
- San Antonio–New Braunfels$48,220
- Abilene$48,160
- Lubbock$46,760
- San Angelo$46,440
- Waco$46,380
- Laredo$45,370
- Brownsville–Harlingen$45,020
- El Paso$45,000
- Tyler$43,100
- Texarkana$41,920
- McAllen–Edinburg–Mission$39,710
Rural Texas
- Northwestern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area$56,730
- Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area$56,710
- Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area$52,540
- Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area$49,230
- Eastern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area$49,220
- North Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area$48,430
Other trades in Texas
Questions
- How much do welders make in Texas?
- Welders in Texas earn a median of $53,340 a year, or $25.64 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $80,240.
- How much do welders make an hour in Texas?
- The median hourly wage is $25.64. The middle half earn between $21.99 and $31.14 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice welders make in Texas?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.45 an hour ($38,380 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.99.
- Where in Texas do welders earn the most?
- Among Texas metro areas, Odessa has the highest median at $63,470 a year, and McAllen–Edinburg–Mission the lowest at $39,710.
- Do welders in Texas earn more than the national average?
- The Texas median of $53,340 is 1% less than the U.S. median of $53,750. Prices in Texas run 3% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $54,960 would nationally.
About this data
Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 51-4121 (Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers), area code 48. BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed welders and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (97.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures