High paying production jobs in Asheville, NC

Every production occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Asheville, NC. 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 Asheville, NC run 3.5% below the national average (2024), so a Asheville, NC salary is worth about 1.04× 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 Asheville, NC

OccupationMedian, Asheville, NC · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$70,470
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,600 – $100,790840
2Tool and Die Makers$60,950
Postsecondary nondegree award
$48,300 – $82,950130
3Machinists$53,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,950 – $76,340850
4Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$52,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,890 – $71,920290
5Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$50,880
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,480 – $56,720170
6Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$50,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,750 – $63,53090
7Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$50,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,600 – $66,040160
8Dental Laboratory Technicians$50,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,610 – $79,44070
9Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$50,400
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,920 – $60,49090
10Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,310
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,240 – $65,290210
11Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$49,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,820 – $80,390790
12Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,290 – $60,060110
13Printing Press Operators$47,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$27,310 – $65,900190
14Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,740 – $62,56080
15Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,540 – $60,030150
16Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$45,970
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,640 – $63,36080
17Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$45,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,820 – $61,260210
18Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,720
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,390 – $65,50070
19Helpers--Production Workers$45,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,000 – $50,97080
20Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$44,700
High school diploma or equivalent
$25,780 – $56,510850
21Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$44,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,350 – $62,5301,610
22Production Workers, All Other$42,810
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,970 – $63,340580
23Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$42,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,690 – $48,940460
24Butchers and Meat Cutters$40,500
No formal educational credential
$31,090 – $47,780200
25Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$40,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,610 – $57,130580
26Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$39,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,940 – $49,05080
27Sewing Machine Operators$37,210
No formal educational credential
$28,820 – $44,580320
28Bakers$36,270
No formal educational credential
$24,770 – $45,440560
29Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$35,120
No formal educational credential
$28,190 – $39,320310
30Food Batchmakers$34,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$22,800 – $50,55080

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

#	Occupation	MedianAsheville, NC	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$70,470	$49,600 – $100,790	840
2	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$60,950	$48,300 – $82,950	130
3	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,110	$39,950 – $76,340	850
4	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,540	$39,890 – $71,920	290
5	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,880	$47,480 – $56,720	170
6	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,740	$42,750 – $63,530	90
7	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,440	$41,600 – $66,040	160
8	Dental Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,440	$36,610 – $79,440	70
9	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,400	$36,920 – $60,490	90
10	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,310	$38,240 – $65,290	210
11	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,010	$36,820 – $80,390	790
12	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,750	$35,290 – $60,060	110
13	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,440	$27,310 – $65,900	190
14	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,230	$36,740 – $62,560	80
15	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,940	$38,540 – $60,030	150
16	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,970	$37,640 – $63,360	80
17	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,940	$29,820 – $61,260	210
18	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,720	$41,390 – $65,500	70
19	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,280	$31,000 – $50,970	80
20	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,700	$25,780 – $56,510	850
21	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,570	$36,350 – $62,530	1,610
22	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,810	$34,970 – $63,340	580
23	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,060	$33,690 – $48,940	460
24	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$40,500	$31,090 – $47,780	200
25	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,170	$36,610 – $57,130	580
26	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,530	$31,940 – $49,050	80
27	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$37,210	$28,820 – $44,580	320
28	BakersNo formal educational credential	$36,270	$24,770 – $45,440	560
29	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$35,120	$28,190 – $39,320	310
30	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$34,390	$22,800 – $50,550	80

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Asheville, NC. 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 Asheville, NC to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Asheville, NC

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