Construction Worker Jobs in Houston, TX
Construction workers in Houston earn a federal-data median of $19.88 an hour, and the work runs from highway and utility crews across the metro to plant jobs along the Ship Channel in Pasadena and Deer Park. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring and what it pays.
Current construction worker Openings in Houston, TX
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Construction Worker Work in Houston
Houston has no zoning ordinance, so building never concentrates in one district: road and utility crews work the Loop, the Beltway and the Grand Parkway, while commercial and residential jobs follow growth out the Katy Freeway, the North Freeway and the Southwest Freeway. Much of the industrial craft hiring is on the east side. The industrial contractors that build and maintain the refineries and chemical plants of the Houston Ship Channel run their hiring centers near the SH 225 corridor, with Zachry Group on Red Bluff Road and Turner Industries on Pasadena Boulevard in Pasadena, and Austin Industries on West X Street in Deer Park.
That split shapes the job: a highway or utility laborer moves from site to site around the metro, while an industrial craft helper reports to a plant in Pasadena, Deer Park, La Porte or Baytown and works under its safety rules.
Top Houston Employers Hiring Construction Workers
These contractors recruit laborers and craft helpers for work in the Houston area on their own careers sites:
- Williams Brothers Construction - the Houston highway and heavy civil contractor, based on Milam Street, recruits laborers, pipelayers, concrete finishers and carpenters for its Houston work.
- Zachry Group - the industrial contractor hires craft workers for plant construction and maintenance through its Gulf Coast Staffing Center in Pasadena.
- Turner Industries - its Pasadena Boulevard complex includes a personnel and training center and an on-site NCCER testing center for new craft hires.
- Austin Industries - the Greater Houston Employment Center in Deer Park is the South Texas hub for its industrial craft recruiting and hiring.
- Performance Contractors - the industrial builder lists laborer and helper positions on its application and recruits through a Greater Houston personnel team.
Construction Worker Salaries in Houston
- Entry level: about $16 to $19 an hour for new laborers and helpers.
- Experienced: roughly $19 to $24 an hour for laborers with a few years on site.
- Senior / lead: $25 to $28 or more an hour for top laborers, with crew foremen moving toward the supervisor pay range.
These are estimates built on federal BLS data for May 2025 in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro, where construction laborers run from $16.77 at the 10th percentile to $28.04 at the 90th, and first-line construction supervisors earn a median of $36.55 an hour. Pay moves with the type of work, overtime, and the skills you add, such as pipe laying, concrete finishing or equipment operation. Texas has no minimum wage above the federal $7.25, so starting rates here are set by competition between contractors, not by law.
How to Become a Construction Worker in Houston
Texas does not license construction laborers, so there is no state exam or registration to complete. Most contractors train new hires on the job, and federal OSHA rules set the safety training an employer must give you. If a job puts you inside a secure area of a port or maritime facility along the Ship Channel, you will also need a federal TWIC card, which costs $125.25 and is valid for five years. To move up, Turner Industries tests craft skills through its NCCER center in Pasadena, and local colleges teach the management side: San Jacinto College offers Construction Management and Industrial Project Management degrees at its North Campus, Houston City College offers Construction Management Technology at its Central and South campuses, and Lone Star College offers Construction Supervision at LSC-North Harris.
What the Job Involves
Construction workers prepare and clean up job sites, move materials and tools, dig trenches, set forms, place concrete, handle scaffolding, and support skilled tradespeople such as carpenters, pipefitters and electricians. Every task runs under site safety rules, with hard hats, safety glasses, gloves and steel-toe boots as standard.
Skills Employers Look For
- Physical stamina for heavy lifting and long days outdoors
- Safety awareness and willingness to follow site rules
- Comfort with hand and power tools
- Reliability and on-time starts
- Ability to take direction from a foreman or craft lead
- Basic measuring and math
- Willingness to work overtime and weekends when a job demands it
Career Path and Advancement
Most Houston construction careers start as a laborer or helper. From there the ladder runs to a skilled craft such as concrete finisher, carpenter, pipelayer, pipefitter or equipment operator, then to crew lead and foreman, where the Houston median for construction supervisors is $36.55 an hour. Workers who add a college credential from San Jacinto, Houston City College or Lone Star can move into project controls and construction management, where the metro median for construction managers is $103,530 a year.
Related Careers in Houston
If construction work interests you, these Houston roles are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a license to work construction in Houston?
No. Texas does not license construction laborers or helpers, and most Houston contractors train new workers on the job. If the work is inside a secure area of a port or maritime facility, you will need a federal TWIC card, which costs $125.25 and lasts five years.
How much do construction workers make in Houston?
Federal BLS data for May 2025 puts the Houston metro median for construction laborers at $19.88 an hour, or about $41,350 a year. The 10th percentile is $16.77 an hour and the 90th is $28.04, and overtime can add to that on busy jobs.
Where are the industrial construction jobs in Houston?
Much of it is on the east side along the Houston Ship Channel and the SH 225 corridor, in Pasadena, Deer Park, La Porte and Baytown. Zachry Group, Turner Industries and Austin Industries all run their Houston-area craft hiring centers in Pasadena and Deer Park.
Does weather affect construction work in Houston?
Yes. Summer heat shapes every outdoor shift, and hurricane season runs from June through November, when storms and street flooding can stop work or change schedules.
Can a laborer job lead to a skilled trade in Houston?
Yes, and it is a common route. Helpers learn alongside carpenters, pipefitters and equipment operators, and contractors such as Turner Industries test craft skills through an NCCER center in Pasadena. Each step up in craft skill usually brings a higher hourly rate.
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