Skilled Trades Wages in Texas: What Employers Are Paying

The candidate sitting across from you knows what the market pays in Texas — do you?

You posted the job, the phone rang, and now the most promising applicant you've interviewed in three months just told you your offer is $4 an hour short of what his last shop was paying. He's got two more interviews this week and he's not bluffing — you can see it in his body language.

Texas is the second-largest construction market in the country by employment, and the competition for skilled trade workers runs hot across every metro. From the energy-industry hubs of Houston and Midland to the growth corridors exploding around Dallas–Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Austin, trade wages don't move in lockstep. A journeyman electrician in the Rio Grande Valley and one on a refinery shutdown crew in the Gulf Coast corridor are pulling very different numbers — and if you're pricing your offers off memory or a competitor's old pay stub, you're flying blind.

This guide gives you the statewide picture: what BLS data says the market pays, trade by trade and percentile by percentile — and how to think about translating that national benchmark to the Texas numbers that actually win the hire.

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What "percentile" means on a wage table (and why it matters to your next offer)

Before the numbers, one quick definition that will make every wage table you read more useful: a percentile tells you what share of workers in that role earn less than a given wage. The 25th percentile means 3 in 4 workers earn more. The 75th percentile means only 1 in 4 workers earn more. The median — the 50th percentile — splits the field exactly in half.

Why does that matter when you're making an offer? Because your target hire is almost never a median worker. A five-year journeyman with a clean license record and a specific certification you need is probably a 65th-to-75th-percentile earner in the market. If you open negotiations at the median, you're already behind. If you open at the 25th percentile, you've probably already lost.

The BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey — built from responses by roughly 1.1 million establishments — publishes wage estimates at the 10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th, and 90th percentile for most detailed trade occupations at the national, state, and metro level. All figures below come from the May 2024 OEWS release unless otherwise noted; point your browser to bls.gov/oes for the most current Texas-specific figures by SOC code, because state and metro data for Texas are updated with each annual release and will be more precise than any national figure applied to a specific market.

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Texas skilled trades wages: the national baseline you're competing against

The BLS does not publish Texas state figures in this article's data library — pull those directly from bls.gov/oes using the SOC codes in each section below. What the national OEWS data gives you is the distributional shape: the spread from entry-level to top-of-market. Texas statewide medians for most construction trades run in a broadly similar range to national figures in many metros, but can diverge significantly by region — which is exactly why the state and metro lookups matter.

Here is the national wage distribution for each trade you're most likely hiring in Texas, drawn from BLS OEWS May 2024 national estimates. These are your starting orientation; your Texas-specific offer should be anchored to the Texas state or metro figure from bls.gov/oes.

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Trade-by-trade wage ranges: national BLS May 2024 benchmarks

Electricians (SOC 47-2111)

Electricians are among the most in-demand trades in the country and in Texas, where commercial construction, data-center buildout, and grid-hardening work are all competing for the same licensed workforce.

National BLS May 2024 (SOC 47-2111):

• 10th percentile: $39,430/yr
• Median (50th): $62,350/yr
• 90th percentile: $106,030/yr

The spread from bottom to top is enormous — nearly $67,000/yr — which tells you how much experience, licensure level, and specialization move the number. A residential service tech and a commercial high-voltage journeyman share a SOC code but not a market rate.

The BLS projects electrician employment to grow +9% from 2024 to 2034 — roughly three times the economy-wide average — with about 81,000 annual job openings nationally. Texas accounts for a disproportionate share of that demand. If you want the Texas statewide median and the Houston or Dallas–Fort Worth metro breakdown, see our Texas electrician salary guide and the metro-specific guides linked at the bottom of this article.

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Plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters (SOC 47-2152)

The BLS groups plumbers and pipefitters into one wage series (SOC 47-2152) — they share a median, so you will see a single figure whether you search "plumber" or "pipefitter" in the OEWS tables. The O*NET occupational profiles distinguish the work in more detail, but the wage benchmark is the same row.

National BLS May 2024 (SOC 47-2152):

• Median: $62,970/yr ($30.27/hr)

Texas has one of the largest concentrations of pipefitting work in the country tied to petrochemical, refinery, and LNG infrastructure. Market rates in industrial-heavy metros like Houston and Beaumont regularly run above the national median; rates in smaller Texas markets may track closer to or below it. Pull the Texas state figure and your specific metro figure from bls.gov/oes before setting a band.

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HVAC mechanics & installers (SOC 49-9021)

Texas's climate keeps HVAC demand unusually high and unusually year-round — a dynamic that affects both seasonal hiring volume and the leverage experienced techs have at offer time.

National BLS May 2024 (SOC 49-9021):

• 10th percentile: $39,130/yr
• Median (50th): $59,810/yr
• 90th percentile: $91,020/yr

National job growth is projected at +8% through 2034 (much faster than average), with about 40,100 annual openings. In a state where summer cooling loads are extreme and newer commercial construction is heavy, that growth is concentrated in the markets where your trucks already run. Texas HVAC wages vary meaningfully between a central-Texas residential service company and a commercial mechanical contractor on a large hospital project — the percentile range above gives you the shape; bls.gov/oes gives you the Texas and metro anchor.

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Welders, cutters, solderers & brazers (SOC 51-4121)

Welding is Texas's industrial-backbone trade — petrochemical shutdowns, pipeline work, and fabrication shops all compete for certified welders, and specialty certifications (6G pipe, for instance) command significant premiums that don't show up cleanly in a single-row median.

National BLS May 2024 (SOC 51-4121):

• 10th percentile: $38,130/yr
• Median (50th): $51,000/yr
• 90th percentile: $75,850/yr

The national median for welders is notably lower than for electricians or plumbers — but that national median blends shop welders, production welders, and certified pipe welders in a way that can badly understate what an experienced welder commands in a Texas industrial market. If you're hiring for pipeline or refinery shutdown work, anchor to the 75th or 90th percentile as your reference point, not the median. Texas-specific figures: bls.gov/oes.

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Carpenters (SOC 47-2031)

Texas's construction volume — residential, commercial, and civil — sustains one of the largest carpenter workforces in the country.

National BLS May 2024 (SOC 47-2031):

• Median: $59,310/yr ($28.51/hr)

The Texas statewide carpenter median and metro breakdowns are available at bls.gov/oes. Like most construction trades, carpentry wages in Texas differ meaningfully between high-growth metros (Austin, Dallas–Fort Worth) and slower-growth regions — and between residential framing crews and finish carpenters on commercial interiors.

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Sheet metal workers (SOC 47-2211)

Sheet metal workers are in relatively short supply nationally, with only about 10,600 annual openings projected — a tight number for a specialized trade with long training pipelines.

National BLS May 2024 (SOC 47-2211):

• Median: $60,850/yr ($29.26/hr)

Texas HVAC and commercial-mechanical contractors who also run sheet metal fabrication are competing in an even tighter sub-market. Pull the Texas state and metro OEWS figures at bls.gov/oes — suppression is possible in smaller metros if estimated employment falls below BLS publication thresholds, in which case fall back to the state figure.

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Structural iron & steel workers (SOC 47-2221)

Iron and steel workers command some of the widest wage spreads in the trades, reflecting the physical demands, safety requirements, and project-scale concentration of the work.

National BLS May 2024 (SOC 47-2221):

• 10th percentile: $42,000/yr
• Median (50th): $62,700/yr
• 90th percentile: $107,520/yr

With only about 7,000 annual openings projected nationally, ironworkers are a genuinely scarce specialty. Texas commercial and industrial construction projects that need structural steel erection are competing in a thin labor pool — get your band right before the first conversation or you may not get a second one.

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Construction equipment operators (SOC 47-2073)

Equipment operators span a wide range of machine types and certifications, and Texas's infrastructure pipeline — highway, port, and civil construction — keeps demand steady.

National BLS May 2024 (SOC 47-2073):

• 10th percentile: $39,850/yr
• Median (50th): $58,320/yr
• 90th percentile: $99,930/yr

Texas-specific figures: bls.gov/oes, SOC 47-2073, Texas state or your specific metro.

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How to build a salary band from a percentile anchor

A salary band converts a raw percentile figure into a structured offer range: a minimum, a midpoint, and a maximum. Here's a quick worked example using the national electrician median as the anchor — replace this with your Texas state or metro figure when you pull it from bls.gov/oes.

Example inputs (worked illustration only):

• Anchor: $62,350/yr (national electrician median, BLS May 2024)
• Spread buffer: ±15% (a common starting point for a single-level band)

Band output:

• Minimum: $62,350 × 0.85 = $53,000/yr (rounded)
• Midpoint: $62,350/yr
• Maximum: $62,350 × 1.15 = $71,700/yr (rounded)

A new-hire journeyman with three years of experience and a clean record might open at $58,000 — above the band minimum but below midpoint — leaving headroom for performance increases without blowing past your band ceiling. A candidate with five years and a specialty license that you genuinely need might warrant a midpoint open or a 70th-percentile anchor instead of the median.

This is a methodology illustration, not advice. Your specific band decisions belong to you, your compensation philosophy, and what the Texas market in your metro actually clears. Use our skilled trades wage benchmarking guide for a deeper walkthrough of band construction, or explore how SkilledMarkets automates the band math from live BLS percentiles in our features overview.

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Texas geography matters: statewide is a starting point, not a finish line

Texas covers more than 268,000 square miles and includes MSAs — metropolitan statistical areas, the Census Bureau's definition of a labor market built around a core city — that function as almost entirely separate labor markets. (For a full explanation of how MSAs work and why they matter for wage benchmarking, see our guide to what an MSA is in wage data.)

A few markers that should shape how you use statewide data:

• Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land MSA is one of the largest construction labor markets in the country, with outsized demand from petrochemical, refinery, and LNG work that pulls industrial-trade wages above many Texas and national benchmarks. See our Houston skilled trades wages guide for the metro-level breakdown.
• Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington MSA is driven by commercial construction, infrastructure, and a massive supply-chain real-estate boom — a different demand mix that produces different wage pressure points. See our Dallas–Fort Worth skilled trades wages guide.
• San Antonio, Austin, and El Paso each have their own OEWS metro estimates — pull them from bls.gov/oes and compare them against the state figure to understand the local premium or discount.
• Smaller Texas metros and rural areas may have suppressed BLS cells for some trades if estimated employment is below the BLS publication threshold. If you hit a suppression gap — where no figure is published — fall back to the Texas statewide figure, or to the national figure, and note the limitation in your band documentation.

The bottom line: the statewide Texas median gives you a credible anchor to start a conversation, but your offer lands in a specific labor market. Use the most granular BLS figure available for the geography where the worker will actually report.

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The market conditions shaping Texas trade wages right now

A few structural forces are worth having in your head as you think about offer strategy in 2025:

The construction industry nationally needed an estimated 439,000 net new workers in 2025 (ABC) — a gap that doesn't close quietly. Across the country, roughly 1 in 5 construction workers is over age 55 (ABC), which means a significant share of the experienced workforce is exiting over the next decade even as project volumes grow. The BLS projects that the construction and extraction occupational group will need roughly 649,300 annual job openings to fill growth and replacement demand.

Private-industry wages and salaries grew +3.4% year-over-year as of March 2026 (Employment Cost Index, BLS). That's the macro backdrop — your Texas competitors are working with the same pressure and making their own decisions about where to set the offer. The contractors that win the hire consistently are the ones who have already done the math before the candidate sits down.

For a broader look at how to use BLS OEWS data across all trade occupations, visit our trade wage data hub or explore SkilledMarkets pricing to see how the platform turns these BLS percentiles into ready-to-use salary bands for your Texas metro.

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Start pricing Texas offers with real BLS numbers

The wage figures above are your orientation. The Texas state and metro figures from bls.gov/oes are your anchor. And a salary band that converts those percentiles into a structured min/midpoint/max is what lets you walk into an offer conversation with confidence instead of guesswork.

SkilledMarkets pulls the BLS OEWS wage data for every trade SOC code — national, state, and metro — and turns it into a ready-to-use salary band in seconds. No CSV downloads, no spreadsheet archaeology, no wondering whether you're looking at the right SOC code for your specific hire.

Try it free for 14 days — run a Texas electrician band, an HVAC tech band, a pipefitter band — and see whether the number you've been offering matches what the market actually clears.