Pipe Welder Jobs in New Orleans, LA
Weld marine pipe systems to code — carbon steel, stainless, aluminum, copper-nickel.
What pipe welders earn around New Orleans
The median, range, and annual figures above are market data — Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics for New Orleans-Metairie, LA Metro Area, via the U.S. Department of Labor's CareerOneStop. Cost of living here runs about 6% below the national average — your paycheck goes further. AMS pays $35–$40/hr plus overtime opportunities.
What a pipe welder does in New Orleans
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 Orleans, pipe welders run from $21.89 at the 10th percentile to $39.71 at the 90th — a $17.82 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 Orleans market
Greater New Orleans has been a shipbuilding and repair center on the lower Mississippi for generations, with active repair yards on the Harvey Canal and Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. It's part of the Louisiana market AMS recruits from.
- Bollinger Quick Repair (Harvey)
Named as public-record market activity — where marine work happens in this area, not a statement of AMS contracts.
- City population
- 376,035
- Median household income
- $55,339
- Average commute
- 23 min
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 93.738
Source: U.S. Census ACS 5-year · BEA Regional Price Parities. Figures are for New Orleans city, Louisiana, not the wider metro area.
Why New Orleans needs pipe welders right now
The Lower Mississippi is one of the nation's largest cargo corridors, and the barge and towboat fleet that moves it runs on pipe — fuel, ballast, hydraulic, and engine-room systems that wear out on the river and get renewed in repair yards. Repair-side pipe welding is its own discipline: cutting out failed sections, welding in place instead of on a bench, mixed metals, tight machinery spaces, and a boat that needs to be back on the water fast. A code-qualified pipe welder in this market rarely sits idle.
About 2,000 welders work in the New Orleans–Metairie metro — median pay around $63,270 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), one of the stronger metro medians on the Gulf. That number excludes overtime; AMS's $35–$40/hr plus overtime opportunities comes out ahead of it before the extra hours even start. The trade-off is geography: AMS runs no crew in New Orleans. It recruits pipe welders from this market for traveling work with per diem, with the nearest active crew in Houma — close enough that plenty of hands work the week there and keep the house here.
If you've run TIG and stick on towboat engine-room spools, welded in-place repairs on ballast or fuel lines in a Harvey Canal repair yard, or held 6G and passed X-ray on refinery pipe across the river, that experience travels. Pipe welders who can read an iso, fit into tight machinery spaces, and weld to code without a shop-floor setup are the hands the industry can't find enough of — AMS pays $35–$40/hr for that experience and doesn't make you re-prove entry level.
Bring your experience to AMSPipe Welder jobs in New Orleans — FAQ
How much do pipe welders make in New Orleans, LA?
In the New Orleans-Metairie, LA Metro Area, pipe welders earn a median of about $30.42 per hour — typically $21.89–$39.71 per hour (BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics via the U.S. Department of Labor's CareerOneStop). With local prices at 93.738 against a national 100, that median buys roughly what $32.45 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 Orleans?
AMS recruits pipe welders across the Gulf Coast, including the New Orleans 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 Orleans?
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 Quick Repair (Harvey) and similar facilities. Bring your certifications — apply and an AMS representative will go over the specifics.
What is the commute like for New Orleans yard work?
Workers in New Orleans city, Louisiana report an average commute of about 23 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 Orleans?
Tell us your trade and experience — an AMS representative will follow up. Résumé optional.