Pipe Welder Jobs in Port Arthur, TX
Weld marine pipe systems to code — carbon steel, stainless, aluminum, copper-nickel.
What pipe welders earn around Port Arthur
The median, range, and annual figures above are market data — Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics for Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX Metro Area, via the U.S. Department of Labor's CareerOneStop. Cost of living here runs about 9% below the national average — your paycheck goes further. AMS pays $35–$40/hr plus overtime opportunities.
Pipe Welders in the Port Arthur market
Port Arthur is a long-standing ship-repair and offshore-fabrication center on the Texas Gulf Coast — Gulf Copper's yard here is in the middle of a major shipbuilding expansion. Alex named East Texas as one of the best places to find this work, and AMS recruits from it.
In Port Arthur the pipe welder's work goes through Gulf Copper & Manufacturing and Bludworth Marine, and it is the code pipe systems — fuel, ballast, hydraulic, firemain — that have to pass hydro and X-ray before a vessel moves.
- Gulf Copper & Manufacturing
- Bludworth Marine
Named as public-record market activity — where marine work happens in this area, not a statement of AMS contracts.
- City population
- 55,779
- Median household income
- $45,752
- Average commute
- 23 min
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 91.079
Source: U.S. Census ACS 5-year · BEA Regional Price Parities. Figures are for Port Arthur city, Texas, not the wider metro area.
What a pipe welder does in Port Arthur
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.
Why Port Arthur needs pipe welders right now
Port Arthur's marine pipe story is expansion. Gulf Copper's yard here is in the middle of a major shipbuilding expansion, layered on top of a long-standing ship-repair and offshore-fabrication base on the Sabine-Neches waterway. Repair work is pipe-heavy by nature — cutting out corroded systems, re-running spools, pressure-testing what the last crew left behind — and a growing yard footprint means more of it. Every vessel that ties up needs code-qualified pipe hands before it leaves.
Pipe welders here share a metro pool of about 1,980 welders with Beaumont and Orange, and refinery money keeps the local median high — around $59,190 (BLS, May 2025). AMS recruits from the Port Arthur market for marine pipe work across the Gulf at $35–$40/hr plus overtime. That's competitive money against plant work, with per-diem travel common and the kind of carbon, stainless, and copper-nickel variety that keeps a pipe welder's tickets sharp instead of stale.
If you've welded pipe in a Sabine-Neches repair yard, run spool replacements on offshore vessels, or held 6G quals for refinery work around Port Arthur, you're the hire marine contractors fight over. Repair pipe work — cutting old systems out and welding new ones into an existing hull — is experience-only territory. AMS pays $35–$40/hr plus overtime for hands who've done it, puts travel and per diem on the table, and skips the entry-level audition.
Bring your experience to AMSPipe Welder jobs in Port Arthur — FAQ
How much do pipe welders make in Port Arthur, TX?
In the Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX Metro Area, pipe welders earn a median of about $28.46 per hour — typically $19.27–$40.23 per hour (BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics via the U.S. Department of Labor's CareerOneStop). With local prices at 91.079 against a national 100, that median buys roughly what $31.25 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 Port Arthur?
AMS recruits pipe welders across the Gulf Coast, including the Port Arthur 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 Port Arthur?
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 Gulf Copper & Manufacturing and similar facilities. Bring your certifications — apply and an AMS representative will go over the specifics.
What is the commute like for Port Arthur yard work?
Workers in Port Arthur city, Texas 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 Port Arthur?
Tell us your trade and experience — an AMS representative will follow up. Résumé optional.