Rebar Workers in the Houston area earn a median of $51,860 a year, 9% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #16 of 24 metros for rebar worker salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Beaumont, but less in Austin.
It's one of 5 Texas metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide rebar worker pay.
Rebar Worker pay in Houston at a glance
- Rebar workers in the Houston, TX metro earn a median $51,860 a year ($24.93 an hour), #16 of 24 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $44,630 and $64,010.
- After local prices, that median buys what $52,581 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,256 a month, 29% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among rebar workers in Houston.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for rebar workers here is below average compared with other U.S. metros, and also below average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (4.5%) and the population is growing faster than most (+10.3% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 13,288 one-person foundation, framing & exterior work businesses averaging $84,840 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $68/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Houston scorecard for rebar workers Our calculation
Grades compare Houston with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($56,835).
Pay over time
The median pay for rebar workers in the Houston area went from $50,530 in 2020 to $51,860 in 2025, up 2.6%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -18.1% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Houston Our calculation
Prices in Houston run 1% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $52,581 would in a typical place, ranking #16 of 23 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a Houston budget on this pay from this pay, local rent and prices.
What rebar workers do
Position and secure steel bars or mesh in concrete forms in order to reinforce concrete. Use a variety of fasteners, rod-bending machines, blowtorches, and hand tools. Includes rod busters.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Position and secure steel bars, rods, cables, or mesh in concrete forms, using fasteners, rod-bending machines, blowtorches, or hand tools.
- Determine quantities, sizes, shapes, and locations of reinforcing rods from blueprints, sketches, or oral instructions.
- Space and fasten together rods in forms according to blueprints, using wire and pliers.
- Use forklifts or cranes to move construction material, such as rebar.
- Cut rods to required lengths, using metal shears, hacksaws, bar cutters, or acetylene torches.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, rebar worker jobs are projected to shrink 5.3% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 1,000 openings a year. About 18% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often rebar workers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Getting started: registered apprenticeship Government data
Most rebar workers train through a paid apprenticeship: you work and earn under experienced pros while taking classes, and pay usually rises as you progress. 727,586 people were active registered apprentices nationwide in FY2026, up 87% since FY2016, and construction is the largest field with 290,043 of them (40%), according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Search apprenticeship openings near Houston ↗Find training programs & sponsors ↗
Official U.S. Department of Labor tools at Apprenticeship.gov. Counts: DOL Apprentices by State dashboard, FY2026 (all occupations).
Licensing in Texas Official source
The main state licensing office in Texas is the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Plumbers are licensed by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. It can point you to the right license for rebar workers.
Official Texas licensing site ↗
Requirements for rebar workers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, rebar workers have 34 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 60% below the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying TX metros for rebar workers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| BeaumontTEXAS · TX | $60,320 | $66,988 | 200 |
| HoustonTEXAS · TX | $51,860 | $52,581 | 1,500 |
| DallasTEXAS · TX | $50,910 | $49,384 | 760 |
| AustinTEXAS · TX | $50,270 | $51,261 | 330 |
| El PasoTEXAS · TX | $46,470 | $51,684 | 50 |
See every metro in Texas.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Houston area's unemployment rate was 4.5% in 2025 (all workers, not just rebar workers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 6.2% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Houston area is 31 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 25% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 72% drive alone, 2% take transit and 12% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Houston area's population grew 10.3% from 2020 to 2025 (7,169,284 → 7,904,627), ranking #35 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +517,047) account for most of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Houston
The Houston area has about 3,044,006 homes. 29% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is newer than most; 27% were built in 2010 or later. 61% of households own their home, and the median home value is $327,400.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Houston are down 6% from 2021 to 2025 (69,263 → 65,075).
In 2025 the Houston area approved permits for 65,075 new homes (46,219 single-family), or 8.7 per 1,000 residents, ranking #39 of 393 metros, among the busiest building markets in the country.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 13,288 one-person businesses (no employees) in foundation, framing & exterior work, averaging $84,840 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 1,574 foundation, framing & exterior work companies that have employees (about 28,612 workers in total). 58% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Houston Government data
In an average year, Houston has 100 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), including 3 at 100°F or more, 4 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 66 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 92°F and winter nights 48°F. That matters for rebar workers: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Houston Hobby Airport, TX station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $51,860 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get rebar worker pricing & estimate templates →Compare Houston with another city →
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ToolBest cities for rebar workersRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in HoustonSee where it falls among local rebar workers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolHouston budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Houston metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Houston against every other metro for rebar workers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.