Pipe Welder Jobs in Houma, LA
Weld marine pipe systems to code — carbon steel, stainless, aluminum, copper-nickel.
What pipe welders earn around Houma
The median, range, and annual figures above are market data — Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics for Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA Metro Area, via the U.S. Department of Labor's CareerOneStop. Cost of living here runs about 12% below the national average — your paycheck goes further. AMS pays $35–$40/hr plus overtime opportunities.
What a pipe welder does in Houma
Pipe welders join and repair the piping systems that run through a ship — welding carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and copper-nickel to ASME, AWS, and ABS code. The work is precise: reading isometric drawings, fitting spools, running TIG and stick in every position including 6G, and passing hydro and X-ray testing. It's the craft behind every pipe and structural project AMS delivers.
Around Houma, pipe welders run from $19.23 at the 10th percentile to $35.86 at the 90th — a $16.63 an hour gap between the bottom and the top of the trade. That gap is what certification and a clean X-ray record are worth here.
Pipe Welders in the Houma market
Houma sits at the heart of Louisiana's shipbuilding and offshore-marine corridor along the Houma Navigation Canal, running down through Larose and Galliano — home to Bollinger Houma and Edison Chouest's North American Shipbuilding, some of the largest offshore-service builders on the Gulf Coast. AMS has crews working Houma right now, and it's the market where the next couple of weeks matter most.
- Bollinger Houma (BHS)
- Edison Chouest / North American Shipbuilding (Larose)
- Gulf Island Fabrication
- Thoma-Sea Marine
Named as public-record market activity — where marine work happens in this area, not a statement of AMS contracts.
- City population
- 32,760
- Median household income
- $54,637
- Average commute
- 20 min
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 88.38
Source: U.S. Census ACS 5-year · BEA Regional Price Parities. Figures are for Houma city, Louisiana, not the wider metro area.
Why Houma needs pipe welders right now
Bollinger's Coast Guard work keeps pipe hands busy on the bayou. The Fast Response Cutter (FRC) line is still running — the Coast Guard exercised an option for ten more boats in September 2025 — and every hull in that series carries fuel, ballast, hydraulic, and seawater systems that have to be welded to code and pass test. Add the offshore-service fleet this corridor builds and keeps running, and pipe welding here is steady serial production, not a one-project boom.
The Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metro counts about 1,350 welders at a median near $56,990 a year (BLS, May 2025) — a pool that runs deep on offshore and workboat experience. AMS's $35–$40 an hour works out well above that median before overtime even starts. And AMS runs active crews in Houma — the only Louisiana metro where it does — so a local pipe welder can earn traveling-hand money without the travel.
If you've run 6G TIG and stick on cutter or offshore-vessel piping — carbon spools in a cramped engine room, stainless that had to pass X-ray, copper-nickel seawater lines — you're the hand this corridor is short on. Boot camps can mint entry-level welders; nobody can shortcut what you already know. AMS pays $35–$40 an hour for exactly that experience and doesn't ask you to re-prove entry level.
Bring your experience to AMSPipe Welder jobs in Houma — FAQ
How much do pipe welders make in Houma, LA?
In the Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA Metro Area, pipe welders earn a median of about $27.40 per hour — typically $19.23–$35.86 per hour (BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics via the U.S. Department of Labor's CareerOneStop). With local prices at 88.38 against a national 100, that median buys roughly what $31.00 an hour would nationally. AMS pays $35–$40/hr plus overtime opportunities; the rate for a specific role is discussed when you apply.
Does AMS hire pipe welders in Houma?
Yes. AMS has crews working the Houma market and hires pipe welders for shipbuilding and ship repair. Apply through our Employment / Job Application page and tell us your trade and experience.
What do I need to get hired as a pipe welder in Houma?
For pipe welders, AMS looks first at 6g / all-position and tig & stick. Every role also requires passing a shipyard safety orientation and a drug screen, and a TWIC card is usually needed for yard access at Bollinger Houma (BHS) and similar facilities. Bring your certifications — apply and an AMS representative will go over the specifics.
What is the commute like for Houma yard work?
Workers in Houma city, Louisiana report an average commute of about 20 minutes (U.S. Census ACS). Yard start times are early, so most crews plan the drive around shift change rather than rush hour. If you would rather travel to the work than commute to it, AMS runs per-diem assignments across the Gulf Coast.
Ready to work as a pipe welder in Houma?
Tell us your trade and experience — an AMS representative will follow up. Résumé optional.