High paying construction jobs in Texas with no degree

The best paid construction occupations in Texas that require no bachelor's degree — a high school diploma, a certificate, or an associate's degree is the typical entry. This is the narrowest cut on the site, so it is also the shortest list: where a field has only two or three such occupations, there is no page at all rather than a page pretending otherwise.

Cost of living: prices in Texas run 2.9% below the national average (2024), so a Texas salary is worth about 1.03× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in Texas.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find construction jobs in Texas

OccupationMedian, Texas · Employed

1Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas$77,840
No formal educational credential
$47,840 – $121,4705,980
2First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers$74,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,000 – $109,46090,010
3Construction and Building Inspectors$64,810
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,220 – $105,16018,230
4Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$59,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,270 – $81,89044,090
5Electricians$58,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,920 – $80,30076,770
6Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas$56,100
No formal educational credential
$43,840 – $74,6905,810
7Sheet Metal Workers$54,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,010 – $78,4009,540
8Structural Iron and Steel Workers$52,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,160 – $77,5209,700
9Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators$50,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,900 – $70,01055,540
10Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas$49,820
No formal educational credential
$37,560 – $79,77016,820
11Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining$49,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,760 – $67,5605,030
12Carpenters$48,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,980 – $65,92033,540
13Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall$48,740
No formal educational credential
$36,250 – $63,2407,120
14Solar Photovoltaic Installers$48,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,660 – $73,6905,270
15Glaziers$47,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,500 – $59,9905,850
16Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers$47,590
No formal educational credential
$35,260 – $61,0305,760
17Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers$47,500
No formal educational credential
$36,360 – $60,77026,430
18Roofers$46,030
No formal educational credential
$34,120 – $61,5605,740
19Roustabouts, Oil and Gas$45,950
No formal educational credential
$35,840 – $60,47024,430
20Pipelayers$45,620
No formal educational credential
$37,030 – $56,7305,010
21Highway Maintenance Workers$45,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,410 – $58,9906,630
22Painters, Construction and Maintenance$45,460
No formal educational credential
$35,870 – $58,91018,330
23Helpers--Electricians$44,360
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,900 – $57,5407,320
24Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$41,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,030 – $54,1807,210
25Construction Laborers$40,620
No formal educational credential
$32,560 – $56,930123,250
26Helpers, Construction Trades, All Other$40,610
No formal educational credential
$33,770 – $49,1505,060

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianTexas	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and GasNo formal educational credential	$77,840	$47,840 – $121,470	5,980
2	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$74,520	$48,000 – $109,460	90,010
3	Construction and Building InspectorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$64,810	$43,220 – $105,160	18,230
4	Plumbers, Pipefitters, and SteamfittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,840	$38,270 – $81,890	44,090
5	ElectriciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,570	$37,920 – $80,300	76,770
6	Derrick Operators, Oil and GasNo formal educational credential	$56,100	$43,840 – $74,690	5,810
7	Sheet Metal WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,240	$37,010 – $78,400	9,540
8	Structural Iron and Steel WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,240	$42,160 – $77,520	9,700
9	Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,460	$38,900 – $70,010	55,540
10	Service Unit Operators, Oil and GasNo formal educational credential	$49,820	$37,560 – $79,770	16,820
11	Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface MiningHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,000	$38,760 – $67,560	5,030
12	CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,900	$36,980 – $65,920	33,540
13	Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and WallNo formal educational credential	$48,740	$36,250 – $63,240	7,120
14	Solar Photovoltaic InstallersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,240	$37,660 – $73,690	5,270
15	GlaziersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,730	$35,500 – $59,990	5,850
16	Drywall and Ceiling Tile InstallersNo formal educational credential	$47,590	$35,260 – $61,030	5,760
17	Cement Masons and Concrete FinishersNo formal educational credential	$47,500	$36,360 – $60,770	26,430
18	RoofersNo formal educational credential	$46,030	$34,120 – $61,560	5,740
19	Roustabouts, Oil and GasNo formal educational credential	$45,950	$35,840 – $60,470	24,430
20	PipelayersNo formal educational credential	$45,620	$37,030 – $56,730	5,010
21	Highway Maintenance WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,540	$32,410 – $58,990	6,630
22	Painters, Construction and MaintenanceNo formal educational credential	$45,460	$35,870 – $58,910	18,330
23	Helpers--ElectriciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,360	$34,900 – $57,540	7,320
24	Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and SteamfittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,950	$35,030 – $54,180	7,210
25	Construction LaborersNo formal educational credential	$40,620	$32,560 – $56,930	123,250
26	Helpers, Construction Trades, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$40,610	$33,770 – $49,150	5,060

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Texas. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

More for Texas

Metro areas in Texas

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in Texas

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Texas to rank honestly.

High paying construction jobs in Texas with no degree

More for Texas

Metro areas in Texas

By field in Texas

Without a degree

High paying construction jobs in each state with no degree