Production jobs: what they pay

$51,600avg. a year

$24.81 an hour · 8,565,760 employed in the U.S.

National average and median pay for 105 production jobs, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. Open a job to see pay in every state and large metro area.

All 105 jobs Other categories

Top-paying production jobs

Average annual U.S. pay, May 2025

105 production jobs

Job	Avg. pay	Median	Jobs
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators	$46,660	$44,650	1,405,030
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	$76,600	$74,450	673,430
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers	$53,450	$48,570	597,370
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers	$56,760	$53,750	416,210
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders	$44,590	$43,220	379,060
Machinists	$59,320	$58,750	287,050
Production Workers, All Other	$44,380	$40,110	251,700
Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers	$47,660	$45,850	246,970
Bakers	$38,480	$37,160	236,200
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers	$34,920	$34,890	198,040
Food Batchmakers	$43,750	$42,290	174,520
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$48,430	$46,330	171,200
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators	$54,320	$50,690	169,450
Helpers--Production Workers	$41,120	$39,070	165,700
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$52,620	$48,250	158,740
Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$45,960	$44,350	150,470
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers	$39,280	$38,300	145,700
Printing Press Operators	$47,360	$45,780	144,260
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders	$60,710	$58,040	139,630
Butchers and Meat Cutters	$42,380	$40,140	136,430
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators	$62,540	$60,020	128,490
Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$50,030	$47,180	124,590
Sewing Machine Operators	$37,600	$36,670	104,880
Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$52,840	$50,270	96,130
Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$52,090	$48,990	94,920
Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters	$48,290	$46,680	77,170
Slaughterers and Meat Packers	$41,770	$40,130	69,950
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$48,170	$46,550	67,000
Food Processing Workers, All Other	$40,300	$39,680	65,000
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing	$43,570	$43,380	61,420
Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$49,480	$47,720	60,840
Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$56,030	$51,610	60,100
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$47,260	$45,760	58,770
Tool and Die Makers	$66,860	$64,050	56,930
Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters	$54,030	$51,330	52,360
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$47,460	$46,570	44,980
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood	$43,580	$42,770	40,850
Dental Laboratory Technicians	$54,290	$49,610	34,410
Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers	$71,420	$65,380	34,020
Engine and Other Machine Assemblers	$57,790	$53,710	34,000
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic	$47,500	$46,170	33,190
Print Binding and Finishing Workers	$44,460	$42,290	33,180
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers	$90,630	$96,710	33,160
Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$45,100	$43,960	32,410
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$50,220	$47,920	31,600
Semiconductor Processing Technicians	$60,180	$51,430	31,460
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders	$42,570	$41,590	31,250
Power Plant Operators	$99,790	$102,040	29,320
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers	$72,210	$68,120	28,500
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators	$83,960	$78,620	28,250
Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials	$34,640	$35,060	26,120
Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$51,380	$48,540	26,000
Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$53,220	$50,140	25,250
Prepress Technicians and Workers	$50,800	$48,690	23,840
Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers	$57,960	$52,540	22,440
Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$40,120	$38,670	22,020
Tire Builders	$57,160	$57,390	20,770
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders	$45,930	$44,810	20,370
Upholsterers	$47,340	$46,340	20,140
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians	$43,190	$39,460	18,660
Gas Plant Operators	$88,710	$87,820	18,030
Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders	$55,490	$54,430	16,780
Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$52,490	$50,620	16,710
Chemical Plant and System Operators	$79,970	$78,120	16,610
Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators	$49,550	$46,880	16,170
Metal Workers and Plastic Workers, All Other	$48,580	$45,950	15,900
Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders	$44,600	$43,530	14,760
Furniture Finishers	$45,300	$44,540	14,480
Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders	$50,940	$48,040	14,280
Plant and System Operators, All Other	$65,700	$62,470	14,080
Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$50,450	$48,750	14,000
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers	$45,140	$41,640	13,920
Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers, All Other	$40,560	$37,280	13,530
Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$40,720	$39,530	13,030
Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers	$48,580	$46,350	12,850
Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers	$50,470	$48,220	12,840
Foundry Mold and Coremakers	$49,860	$48,110	12,790
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$56,740	$52,800	12,460
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders	$46,850	$46,460	11,500
Medical Appliance Technicians	$52,730	$48,030	11,280
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand	$45,020	$42,660	10,510
Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$39,530	$38,760	9,000
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$51,680	$49,030	8,930
Power Distributors and Dispatchers	$111,320	$106,730	8,520
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers	$45,210	$41,600	7,940
Etchers and Engravers	$46,320	$43,310	7,750
Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers	$39,160	$37,800	7,450
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders	$44,940	$41,330	6,900
Cutters and Trimmers, Hand	$41,050	$38,020	6,060
Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic	$66,520	$63,870	5,970
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners	$53,240	$50,060	5,600
Woodworkers, All Other	$46,070	$44,530	5,490
Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders	$40,380	$38,180	5,310
Nuclear Power Reactor Operators	$121,380	$122,890	5,150
Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators	$46,050	$40,610	4,800
Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$51,810	$49,080	4,680
Pourers and Casters, Metal	$54,290	$51,810	4,560
Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders	$36,280	$35,650	3,280
Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers	$71,420	$62,750	2,950
Model Makers, Metal and Plastic	$68,570	$63,340	2,610
Sewers, Hand	$37,210	$36,480	2,190
Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic	$60,610	$58,000	1,470
Model Makers, Wood	$63,670	$56,550	280
Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters	$56,720	$62,620	250
Patternmakers, Wood	$54,240	$49,630	220

Why people trust JobPayFacts

Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.

Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.

Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.

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Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.