Pipe Welder Jobs in New Iberia, LA
Weld marine pipe systems to code — carbon steel, stainless, aluminum, copper-nickel.
What pipe welders earn around New Iberia
The median, range, and annual figures above are market data — Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics for Southwest Louisiana Balance of State, via the U.S. Department of Labor's CareerOneStop. Cost of living here runs about 10% below the national average — your paycheck goes further. AMS pays $35–$40/hr plus overtime opportunities.
What a pipe welder does in New Iberia
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 New Iberia, pipe welders run from $15.49 at the 10th percentile to $34.52 at the 90th — a $19.03 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 New Iberia market
New Iberia anchors the Acadiana marine market around the Port of Iberia — one of the country's busiest offshore-fabrication ports, turning out pipe and structural steel for the marine and energy industries. It's part of the Louisiana market AMS recruits from.
- Port of Iberia offshore-fabrication yards
Named as public-record market activity — where marine work happens in this area, not a statement of AMS contracts.
- City population
- 27,926
- Median household income
- $50,802
- Average commute
- 21 min
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 89.813
Source: U.S. Census ACS 5-year · BEA Regional Price Parities. Figures are for New Iberia city, Louisiana, not the wider metro area.
Why New Iberia needs pipe welders right now
Around the Port of Iberia, pipe welding is code work for the offshore energy trade — heavy schedules, tight procedures, X-ray rates that punish sloppy prep. What matters for a marine career is that the ticket transfers: the same 6G stick and TIG that passes at a fabrication yard passes on a vessel, and the bayou's shipbuilders sit a corridor drive away. New Iberia has spent decades producing exactly the welder marine contractors are short of; most have simply never crossed over.
Louisiana welders post a $62,250 state median (BLS, May 2025), but that number blends the shop day rate with the marine premium. AMS pays the premium: $35–$40 an hour plus overtime opportunities — roughly $72,800 to $83,200 a year on straight time. AMS recruits from New Iberia rather than staffing a crew here, so plan on travel: per diem is common, and the nearest active AMS crews work the Houma market, down the corridor.
If you've welded spools at a Port of Iberia fab yard — 6G on carbon and stainless, heavy-wall work that had to shoot clean — your qualification history is the resume, and AMS treats the resume as optional anyway. Vessel piping adds copper-nickel and tighter quarters, but the arc doesn't change. Experienced code welders are the Gulf's scarcest commodity; AMS pays $35–$40 an hour to get them and doesn't restart anyone at entry level.
Bring your experience to AMSPipe Welder jobs in New Iberia — FAQ
How much do pipe welders make in New Iberia, LA?
In the Southwest Louisiana Balance of State, pipe welders earn a median of about $27.26 per hour — typically $15.49–$34.52 per hour (BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics via the U.S. Department of Labor's CareerOneStop). With local prices at 89.813 against a national 100, that median buys roughly what $30.35 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 New Iberia?
AMS recruits pipe welders across the Gulf Coast, including the New Iberia market, for marine fabrication and repair work. Apply and tell us your trade, your experience, and whether you can travel.
What do I need to get hired as a pipe welder in New Iberia?
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 Port of Iberia offshore-fabrication yards and similar facilities. Bring your certifications — apply and an AMS representative will go over the specifics.
What is the commute like for New Iberia yard work?
Workers in New Iberia city, Louisiana report an average commute of about 21 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 New Iberia?
Tell us your trade and experience — an AMS representative will follow up. Résumé optional.