Pipe Welder Jobs in Tampa, FL
Weld marine pipe systems to code — carbon steel, stainless, aluminum, copper-nickel.
What pipe welders earn around Tampa
The median, range, and annual figures above are market data — Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics for Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metro Area, via the U.S. Department of Labor's CareerOneStop. Cost of living here runs right around the national average. AMS pays $35–$40/hr plus overtime opportunities.
What a pipe welder does in Tampa
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 Tampa, pipe welders run from $19.18 at the 10th percentile to $32.39 at the 90th — a $13.21 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 Tampa market
Tampa sits on Port Tampa Bay, one of the largest ports in Florida, with a working ship-repair cluster along the channel — dry docks and topside repair yards that keep the commercial and government fleet running. It's a Gulf ship-repair market AMS is hiring welders and fitters for right now.
- Tampa Ship
- International Ship Repair & Marine Services
Named as public-record market activity — where marine work happens in this area, not a statement of AMS contracts.
- City population
- 393,389
- Median household income
- $71,302
- Average commute
- 25 min
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 99.856
Source: U.S. Census ACS 5-year · BEA Regional Price Parities. Figures are for Tampa city, Florida, not the wider metro area.
Why Tampa needs pipe welders right now
Tampa's marine work is repair and conversion, and that rhythm is good for pipe welders. When a vessel comes out of the water, its piping gets opened up — fuel, ballast, fire main, cooling, and steam systems that corroded or failed survey get cut out and rewelded to code before the ship goes back to work. That's compressed-schedule pipe welding: short windows, code joints, hydro and X-ray on the other side. Florida's private shipbuilding-and-repair payroll ran 4,329 jobs at $74,165 average pay in 2024 (BLS QCEW), and repair markets like Tampa carry a real share of it.
For a pipe welder weighing the market: Florida's median welder pay across all industries is $50,640 a year (BLS, May 2025), and that figure excludes overtime. AMS pays $35–$40 an hour plus overtime opportunities — run the math against a median and it's not close. Tampa is a hiring market for AMS right now, not a someday market. If you're local, you work close to home; if you're not, travel and per-diem work is common in this trade and AMS runs it that way, so a Tampa job doesn't have to mean a Tampa mortgage.
If you've run pipe in a repair yard — cutting out wasted sections of fire main, welding stainless in a machinery space you could barely turn around in, passing X-ray on a joint you fit through a lagging gap — Tampa's work will look familiar. Spool work from new construction or industrial shutdowns carries straight over too: 6G stick and TIG don't change. Experienced pipe welders are the hardest hire in this industry, and AMS pays for that experience at $35–$40 an hour instead of making you re-prove entry level.
Bring your experience to AMSPipe Welder jobs in Tampa — FAQ
How much do pipe welders make in Tampa, FL?
In the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metro Area, pipe welders earn a median of about $24.00 per hour — typically $19.18–$32.39 per hour (BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics via the U.S. Department of Labor's CareerOneStop). With local prices at 99.856 against a national 100, that median buys roughly what $24.03 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 Tampa?
AMS recruits pipe welders across the Gulf Coast, including the Tampa 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 Tampa?
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 Tampa Ship and similar facilities. Bring your certifications — apply and an AMS representative will go over the specifics.
What is the commute like for Tampa yard work?
Workers in Tampa city, Florida report an average commute of about 25 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 Tampa?
Tell us your trade and experience — an AMS representative will follow up. Résumé optional.