How much do millwrights make in Texas in 2026?

The median millwright in Texas earns $62,630 a year, which works out to about $30.11 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That number comes from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data collected in May 2025, and it sits in the middle of a wide spread — meaning half of Texas millwrights earn more and half earn less.

The bottom quarter of earners — workers in their early years or in lower-demand regions — lands at $48,560 annually, or roughly $23.35 an hour. The top quarter clears $75,670 a year, about $36.38 an hour. That $27,110 gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is real and tells you this trade rewards experience, specialization, and positioning in the right labor market.

Millwrights install, align, disassemble, and repair industrial machinery — turbines, conveyors, pumps, compressors, precision machine tools. Texas has an outsized demand for this work because of its concentration of petrochemical plants, refineries, LNG facilities, power generation sites, and manufacturing operations, particularly along the Gulf Coast from Beaumont through Corpus Christi and in the Houston Ship Channel corridor. Workers in those industrial clusters typically command pay at or above the median. Inland and smaller-market millwrights, where industrial density is lower, more often sit in the lower percentiles.

Overtime is a significant income factor for millwrights. Plant turnarounds, scheduled outages, and equipment failures don't clock out at 5 p.m. A millwright earning the median straight-time rate of $30.11 an hour picks up $45.17 per overtime hour. Workers who chase turnaround work — the intensive, time-limited overhaul projects common at Texas refineries — can add tens of thousands of dollars to their annual take-home in a heavy turnaround year. That income is real but variable, and BLS wage figures reflect base hourly rates, not total compensation with overtime baked in.

Experience moves the needle more than almost anything else for millwrights. A first-year apprentice or helper starts well below the 25th percentile. A journeyman with five or more years of documented machine alignment, rigging, and precision installation work can realistically push into the top quarter. Millwrights who pick up certifications in laser alignment, vibration analysis, or millwright-specific rigging tend to be the first names called when contractors staff up for major jobs — and they can negotiate accordingly.

The type of employer matters too. Direct-hire positions at large industrial facilities often come with steady hours, benefits, and predictable schedules. Contractor and maintenance-service work can pay higher hourly rates but with less stability. Both arrangements exist throughout Texas, and experienced millwrights often move between them depending on where the work is.

Some Texas millwrights work under collective bargaining agreements. The pay and benefit terms under those agreements vary by employer and contract, and the BLS figures here blend both union and non-union wages. If you're covered by a union contract, your rate is set by that agreement — check directly with your local's current contract documents for the precise figures that apply to you.

The BLS OEWS figures represent wages paid by employers at a point in time. They don't capture per diem, travel allowances, tool pay, or the value of employer-paid health and retirement benefits — all of which are common in industrial millwright work and can add meaningfully to total compensation. When comparing offers, factor those items in alongside the base rate.