Structural Welder Jobs in Port Arthur, TX
Weld hulls, decks, bulkheads, and steel structures — new build and repair.
What structural 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.
Structural 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 structural welder's work goes through Gulf Copper & Manufacturing and Bludworth Marine, and it is the plate and structural work — bulkheads, framing, foundations — that carries the vessel's load.
- 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 structural welder does in Port Arthur
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 Port Arthur needs structural welders right now
A yard expansion is a structural story before it's anything else. Gulf Copper's Port Arthur operation is in a major shipbuilding expansion, and expansion means plate: hulls, decks, foundations, and the shop steel to build them in. Around it, Port Arthur's offshore-repair trade generates constant structural work of its own — cropping out wasted steel, welding inserts, renewing decks and bulkheads on working vessels that need to get back on the water fast.
The metro's welder pool — about 1,980 across Beaumont–Port Arthur (BLS, May 2025) — leans heavily toward refinery and plant work, which means marine structural hands are scarcer than the raw number suggests. AMS recruits structural welders from Port Arthur for Gulf Coast new construction, retrofit, and repair at $35–$40/hr plus overtime. Travel and per-diem work is common, flux-core, stick, and MIG all stay in rotation, and a résumé is optional — the welding speaks for itself.
If you've renewed deck plate on an offshore vessel in a Port Arthur yard, welded inserts into a working hull, or run flux-core out of position on Sabine-Neches repair jobs, you've got the repair-side structural experience that can't be taught in a booth. Shipbuilding's hardest hires are the hands who've already done the work inside a vessel. AMS pays $35–$40/hr plus overtime for exactly that, no re-proving required.
Bring your experience to AMSStructural Welder jobs in Port Arthur — FAQ
How much do structural welders make in Port Arthur, TX?
In the Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX Metro Area, structural 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 structural welders in Port Arthur?
AMS recruits structural 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 structural welder in Port Arthur?
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 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 structural welder in Port Arthur?
Tell us your trade and experience — an AMS representative will follow up. Résumé optional.