Structural Welder Jobs in New Orleans, LA
Weld hulls, decks, bulkheads, and steel structures — new build and repair.
What structural 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.
Structural 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.
Structural Welders working New Orleans are on the plate and structural work — bulkheads, framing, foundations — that carries the vessel's load, through yards like Bollinger Quick Repair (Harvey). What that means day to day depends on whether the yard is running new construction or repair — the fit-up problems are not the same.
- 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.
What a structural welder does in New Orleans
Structural welders build and repair the steel that holds a vessel together — hulls, bulkheads, decks, foundations, catwalks, and platforms — welding to structural code on onshore and offshore projects, new constructions, retrofits, and repairs. Flux-core, stick, and MIG in tight, out-of-position spots. AMS handles every aspect to the highest quality standards.
Why New Orleans needs structural welders right now
Steel on the Lower Mississippi takes a beating. Barges ground, hulls and fenders dent, towboat push knees and decks wear through — and the repair yards along the Harvey Canal exist to renew that steel: cropping out wasted plate, welding in inserts, rebuilding foundations and guards with flux-core and stick in whatever position the job sits. It's high-volume, repeat structural work driven by the sheer size of the fleet moving past the city, and it keeps out-of-position skills sharper than any fab-shop table ever will.
Louisiana's shipyards carried 4,366 jobs at an average pay of $76,741 in 2024 (BLS QCEW) — a real, paid industry behind this trade in the state. Statewide, welders across all industries earn a median of $62,250 a year (OEWS, May 2025), a figure that leaves out overtime. AMS pays $35–$40/hr plus overtime opportunities and recruits structural welders from the New Orleans market for traveling crew work with per diem — mostly in markets like Houma, Mobile, and Pascagoula, where its crews are working now. If you can travel, the pay math favors the road.
If you've cropped and renewed hull plate on a barge, run flux-core overhead in a towboat's void spaces, or rebuilt push knees and deck fittings on repair-yard time, that's the structural experience new-construction and repair crews fight over. Out-of-position welders who pass structural code without rework are the industry's hardest fill — entry welders can be trained, but repair judgment can't be rushed. AMS pays $35–$40/hr for hands like that, with no re-proving entry level.
Bring your experience to AMSStructural Welder jobs in New Orleans — FAQ
How much do structural welders make in New Orleans, LA?
In the New Orleans-Metairie, LA Metro Area, structural 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 structural welders in New Orleans?
AMS recruits structural 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 structural welder in New Orleans?
For structural welders, AMS looks first at flux-core, stick, mig and structural code. 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 structural welder in New Orleans?
Tell us your trade and experience — an AMS representative will follow up. Résumé optional.