WAGE DATA · SOC 51-4121

WELDER PAY
IN TEXAS.

Texas welders earn a median of $23.96/hr (BLS 2024). 56,650 workers employed statewide. Compare market wages, federal prevailing rates, and per-diem baselines below.

// SWITCH VIEW
ALL 50 STATES · WELDER
// BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS · STATEWIDEOEWS · MAY 2024
HOURLY MEDIAN
$23.96/hr
MEAN HOURLY
$26.15/hr
ANNUAL MEDIAN
$50K
EMPLOYED
56,650
10th · $17.58MEDIAN · $23.9690th · $37.71
// DAVIS-BACON · FEDERAL PREVAILING WAGE290 ACTIVE WDS

Active Wage Determinations · Texas

290 active Davis-Bacon Wage Determinations cover Texas. Each WD sets the legal minimum wage (base + fringe by trade classification) on federally-funded construction in the counties it applies to. Showing the 12 most recently modified — click through for the per-trade rates on sam.gov.

TX20260216 · MOD 1
Building · Refugio, Matagorda
MOD
2026-01-23
TX20260010
Residential · Nueces, San Patricio
MOD
2026-01-02
TX20260104
Residential · Briscoe, Castro, Childress +19
MOD
2026-01-02
TX20260101
Residential · Grimes, Falls, Limestone
MOD
2026-01-02
TX20260102
Residential · Burnet, Llano, Mason +21
MOD
2026-01-02
TX20260103
Residential · Brooks, Dimmit, Duval +12
MOD
2026-01-02
TX20260100
Residential · Terry
MOD
2026-01-02
TX20260105
Residential · Nacogdoches, Fannin, Henderson +21
MOD
2026-01-02
TX20260106
Residential · Fayette, Bee, Jim Wells +10
MOD
2026-01-02
TX20260107
Residential · Jack, Bailey, Cochran +21
MOD
2026-01-02
TX20260108
Residential · Culberson, Hudspeth, Andrews +22
MOD
2026-01-02
TX20260001
Residential · Cameron, Hidalgo
MOD
2026-01-02

Per-trade rates (the actual $/hr for welders by county) are published on the SAM.gov detail page for each WD. Browse all 290 Texas Wage Determinations on sam.gov. If a contractor on a federal job is paying below the WD, file a WH-3 with DOL WHD.

// GSA PER DIEM · FY 2026GSA

Lodging + M&IE by City

The federal government's per-diem rate is the baseline most contractors use. If your job's per diem is below this, you're subsidizing the contractor.

Arlington / Fort Worth / Grapevine
Tarrant / City of Grapevine
$261
/day · meals $80
Austin
Travis
$257
/day · meals $80
Dallas
Dallas
$255
/day · meals $80
San Antonio
Bexar
$215
/day · meals $74
Houston
Montgomery / Fort Bend / Harris
$208
/day · meals $80
Plano
Collin
$203
/day · meals $80
Midland / Odessa
Midland / Andrews / Ector / Martin
$203
/day · meals $74
South Padre Island
Cameron
$201
/day · meals $74
Pecos
Reeves
$195
/day · meals $74
Galveston
Galveston
$191
/day · meals $74
Big Spring
Howard
$182
/day · meals $68
Standard Rate
Texas
$178
/day · meals $68
// ROADHAND COMMUNITY · REAL PAY REPORTS1 REPORT

What workers are actually earning.

Anonymous reports from welders on Texas projects. Hourly, per diem, and market comparison vs. BLS.

Bechtel
Midland, TX · 50h/wk · Apr 19, 2026
$48.00
/hr · $175/day
100% ABOVE MARKET
Got a pay package to share? Anonymous by default.ADD YOUR REPORT

OTHER TRADES IN TEXAS

ElectricianPipefitterIronworkerMillwrightBoilermakerCarpenterOperating EngineerPlumberInsulator

WELDER PAY IN OTHER STATES

AlaskaCaliforniaColoradoLouisianaMontanaNew MexicoNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaPennsylvaniaWest VirginiaWyoming

FAQ

How much does a welder earn in Texas?+
According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (2024), welders in Texas earn a median of $23.96/hr. That's roughly $50K/year for a full-time schedule at straight time.
What's the top pay for welders in Texas?+
The top 10% of welders in Texas earn more than $37.71/hr (BLS 2024). That represents experienced workers, supervisors, or those on high-per-diem travel contracts.
How many welders work in Texas?+
BLS reports 56,650 welders employed in Texas as of 2024. Numbers fluctuate with major construction cycles — when big projects like LNG terminals or data centers start, demand spikes.
Do welders in Texas get per diem?+
Per diem is standard on travel contracts. The federal GSA baseline for Texas is typically $150-$260/day depending on the city. Contractors may set their per diem higher or lower — if it's below the GSA floor, you're subsidizing the contractor's housing budget out of pocket.
What's Davis-Bacon prevailing wage?+
Davis-Bacon rates are the legally-required minimum wages on federally-funded construction projects — base pay plus fringe benefits. Every contractor working a federal job must pay at least the Davis-Bacon rate for that county and trade. Private-sector jobs don't have to match, but many do as a competitive floor.