High paying production jobs in Colorado

Every production occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Colorado. 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 Colorado run 3.1% above the national average (2024), so a Colorado salary is worth about 0.97× 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 Colorado.

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

Find production jobs in Colorado

OccupationMedian, Colorado · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$78,890
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,890 – $127,9609,580
2Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$74,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,130 – $95,7302,620
3Machinists$60,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,650 – $84,5102,800
4Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$58,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,100 – $79,7004,970
5Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$58,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,690 – $82,4205,220
6Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$55,270
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,450 – $77,2601,580
7Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$53,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,150 – $101,6701,470
8Plant and System Operators, All Other$51,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,930 – $81,0401,050
9Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$50,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,690 – $71,8001,400
10Slaughterers and Meat Packers$50,480
No formal educational credential
$38,910 – $59,5201,590
11Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$50,390
No formal educational credential
$47,520 – $57,2802,470
12Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$49,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,500 – $64,8901,300
13Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,270 – $76,5101,970
14Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,670 – $59,2202,160
15Printing Press Operators$47,860
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,400 – $63,2701,830
16Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$47,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,470 – $67,4504,300
17Butchers and Meat Cutters$47,490
No formal educational credential
$33,970 – $59,2102,200
18Production Workers, All Other$47,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,700 – $63,5701,120
19Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$46,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,370 – $61,1709,180
20Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$46,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,270 – $73,9804,760
21Helpers--Production Workers$45,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,810 – $54,9101,350
22Food Batchmakers$44,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,820 – $61,1303,880
23Sewing Machine Operators$43,840
No formal educational credential
$35,250 – $55,050970
24Bakers$40,650
No formal educational credential
$32,820 – $56,5704,680
25Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$37,680
No formal educational credential
$32,700 – $46,4503,370

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

#	Occupation	MedianColorado	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$78,890	$50,890 – $127,960	9,580
2	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$74,200	$50,130 – $95,730	2,620
3	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,200	$44,650 – $84,510	2,800
4	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,590	$44,100 – $79,700	4,970
5	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,350	$43,690 – $82,420	5,220
6	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,270	$44,450 – $77,260	1,580
7	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,590	$39,150 – $101,670	1,470
8	Plant and System Operators, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,600	$40,930 – $81,040	1,050
9	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,790	$41,690 – $71,800	1,400
10	Slaughterers and Meat PackersNo formal educational credential	$50,480	$38,910 – $59,520	1,590
11	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$50,390	$47,520 – $57,280	2,470
12	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,610	$38,500 – $64,890	1,300
13	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,590	$38,270 – $76,510	1,970
14	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,200	$41,670 – $59,220	2,160
15	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,860	$37,400 – $63,270	1,830
16	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,660	$38,470 – $67,450	4,300
17	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$47,490	$33,970 – $59,210	2,200
18	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,200	$38,700 – $63,570	1,120
19	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,150	$37,370 – $61,170	9,180
20	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,010	$35,270 – $73,980	4,760
21	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,550	$35,810 – $54,910	1,350
22	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,900	$36,820 – $61,130	3,880
23	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$43,840	$35,250 – $55,050	970
24	BakersNo formal educational credential	$40,650	$32,820 – $56,570	4,680
25	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$37,680	$32,700 – $46,450	3,370

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

Metro areas in Colorado

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

By field in Colorado

Without a degree

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

High paying production jobs in Colorado

More for Colorado

Metro areas in Colorado

By field in Colorado

Without a degree

High paying production jobs in each state