Pipefitter Jobs in Houston, TX
Lay out, fabricate, and install marine pipe systems and supports.
What pipefitters earn around Houston
The median, range, and annual figures above are market data — Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics for Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Metro Area, via the U.S. Department of Labor's CareerOneStop. Cost of living here runs about 1% below the national average — your paycheck goes further. AMS pays $35–$40/hr plus overtime opportunities.
What a pipefitter does in Houston
Pipefitters lay out, fabricate, and install the pipe systems a ship runs on — cutting and threading, fitting spools, setting flanges, valves, and hangers, and prepping joints for the welders. It takes drawing literacy, precise measurement, and the flexibility to adapt to the diversification of marine and industrial projects. Pipefitters and pipe welders work the job side by side.
A pipefitter's median around Houston is $29.47 an hour, but local prices run at 98.772 against a national 100 — so it buys what $29.84 would nationally. That is the number worth comparing when a job means relocating or running a per-diem schedule.
Pipefitters in the Houston market
The Houston-Galveston ship channel is one of the busiest marine-industrial corridors in the country, with ship-repair and fabrication yards up and down the channel. It's one of the East Texas markets AMS actively recruits welders and fitters from.
- Gulf Copper (Galveston)
- Southwest Shipyard
- Bludworth Marine
Named as public-record market activity — where marine work happens in this area, not a statement of AMS contracts.
- City population
- 2,300,419
- Median household income
- $62,894
- Average commute
- 27 min
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 98.772
Source: U.S. Census ACS 5-year · BEA Regional Price Parities. Figures are for Houston city, Texas, not the wider metro area.
Why Houston needs pipefitters right now
Fit-up is where Houston's marine pipe work starts. Gulf Copper's distributed-build work on Navy DDG-51 destroyer modules means spools, flanges, and hangers have to land exactly where the drawings say — a grand block that gets erected at Ingalls has no room for sloppy layout. Add the deep ship-repair and supplier base along the busiest port complex in the country by tonnage (USACE 2023), and there's steady call for fitters who read isos and set valves right the first time.
Houston's industrial economy works both for and against a fitter. Petrochemical plants and fab shops mean constant work — and constant competition for it, in the nation's deepest pool of welding and fitting labor. AMS recruits pipefitters out of exactly this market: $35–$40/hr plus overtime, travel and per-diem work across the Gulf, and marine systems work that runs year-round instead of turnaround to turnaround. A résumé is optional; your layout eye and your measurements are the credential.
If you've fit spools in a Pasadena fab shop, set flanges and hangers on ship-channel repair work, or laid out pipe from isometrics on an industrial job, you already have the core of marine pipefitting — the codes and the confined spaces are learnable; the layout eye isn't. Experienced fitters are among the hardest hires in shipbuilding, and AMS doesn't ask you to start over. $35–$40/hr plus overtime, per diem when you travel, résumé optional.
Bring your experience to AMSPipefitter jobs in Houston — FAQ
How much do pipefitters make in Houston, TX?
In the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Metro Area, pipefitters earn a median of about $29.47 per hour — typically $19.19–$41.19 per hour (BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics via the U.S. Department of Labor's CareerOneStop). With local prices at 98.772 against a national 100, that median buys roughly what $29.84 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 pipefitters in Houston?
AMS recruits pipefitters across the Gulf Coast, including the Houston 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 pipefitter in Houston?
For pipefitters, AMS looks first at iso & spool drawings and layout & fit-up. 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 (Galveston) and similar facilities. Bring your certifications — apply and an AMS representative will go over the specifics.
What is the commute like for Houston yard work?
Workers in Houston city, Texas report an average commute of about 27 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 pipefitter in Houston?
Tell us your trade and experience — an AMS representative will follow up. Résumé optional.