High paying production jobs in Altoona, PA

Every production occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Altoona, PA. Read the percentile range, not just the median: the gap between the 10th and 90th inside a single production job is usually wider than the gap between two different ones, so where you land in a field matters more than which field you pick.

Cost of living: prices in Altoona, PA run 10.5% below the national average (2024), so a Altoona, PA salary is worth about 1.12× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order.

Local wage estimates are suppressed more often than state ones — BLS withholds any figure too few local employers report — so an occupation missing here simply has no published local estimate.

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

Find production jobs in Altoona, PA

OccupationMedian, Altoona, PA · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$65,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,590 – $65,11070
2First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$62,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,080 – $89,380340
3Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$57,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,580 – $60,47050
4Machinists$52,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,080 – $62,920120
5Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$52,080
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,650 – $52,080160
6Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$51,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,790 – $63,460170
7Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,690
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,740 – $66,50070
8Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,820 – $60,67030
9Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,740 – $79,740100
10Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$45,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,140 – $51,62070
11Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$44,890
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,260 – $59,260170
12Printing Press Operators$44,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,150 – $66,940140
13Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$44,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,540 – $62,100310
14Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$43,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,380 – $48,37030
15Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic$39,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,210 – $52,61040
16Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$39,300
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,070 – $58,82030
17Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$37,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,650 – $50,080500
18Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders$37,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $43,51070
19Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$36,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$21,940 – $50,850690
20Butchers and Meat Cutters$36,610
No formal educational credential
$25,940 – $48,75030
21Food Batchmakers$35,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$23,060 – $44,500280
22Helpers--Production Workers$35,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$26,330 – $50,410100
23Bakers$31,850
No formal educational credential
$23,810 – $42,880100
24Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$28,910
No formal educational credential
$24,430 – $37,00080

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

#	Occupation	MedianAltoona, PA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$65,110	$47,590 – $65,110	70
2	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,660	$43,080 – $89,380	340
3	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,450	$37,580 – $60,470	50
4	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,660	$37,080 – $62,920	120
5	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,080	$38,650 – $52,080	160
6	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,540	$38,790 – $63,460	170
7	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,690	$34,740 – $66,500	70
8	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,350	$35,820 – $60,670	30
9	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,200	$35,740 – $79,740	100
10	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,070	$36,140 – $51,620	70
11	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,890	$35,260 – $59,260	170
12	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,580	$35,150 – $66,940	140
13	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,380	$30,540 – $62,100	310
14	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,000	$35,380 – $48,370	30
15	Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,450	$39,210 – $52,610	40
16	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,300	$30,070 – $58,820	30
17	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,800	$30,650 – $50,080	500
18	Food Cooking Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,530	$31,200 – $43,510	70
19	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,940	$21,940 – $50,850	690
20	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$36,610	$25,940 – $48,750	30
21	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,670	$23,060 – $44,500	280
22	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,540	$26,330 – $50,410	100
23	BakersNo formal educational credential	$31,850	$23,810 – $42,880	100
24	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$28,910	$24,430 – $37,000	80

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Altoona, PA. 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.

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

High paying production jobs in Altoona, PA

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