High paying production jobs in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

Every production occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX run 1.4% below the national average (2024), so a Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX salary is worth about 1.01× 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

OccupationMedian, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX · Employed

1Chemical Plant and System Operators$106,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$59,920 – $124,9301,420
2Gas Plant Operators$85,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$70,370 – $100,6601,510
3Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers$84,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,670 – $114,3505,510
4Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$79,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,630 – $106,2309,390
5First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$75,330
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,060 – $128,36015,270
6Machinists$61,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,960 – $81,4708,140
7Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$57,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,480 – $81,94015,850
8Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$51,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,180 – $74,9201,980
9Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$50,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,540 – $77,4701,580
10Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$50,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,850 – $71,6505,200
11Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,210 – $61,4804,590
12Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$46,630
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,540 – $77,09016,520
13Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,320 – $58,9201,780
14Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$45,270
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,870 – $62,1703,620
15Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$43,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,050 – $63,1101,550
16Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$43,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,900 – $57,3403,810
17Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$43,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,480 – $51,6801,290
18Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$42,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,360 – $49,0701,090
19Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$42,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,150 – $66,9302,320
20Printing Press Operators$40,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,000 – $58,2701,710
21Production Workers, All Other$39,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,060 – $61,4703,420
22Butchers and Meat Cutters$38,120
No formal educational credential
$23,540 – $56,1602,700
23Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$37,890
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,740 – $56,04021,170
24Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$37,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$25,520 – $67,3904,230
25Helpers--Production Workers$37,290
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,990 – $48,0808,120
26Bakers$34,290
No formal educational credential
$25,740 – $43,8704,120
27Food Batchmakers$33,830
High school diploma or equivalent
$17,720 – $47,8503,210
28Sewing Machine Operators$33,530
No formal educational credential
$25,340 – $45,3601,270
29Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$29,260
No formal educational credential
$22,880 – $37,0604,340

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

#	Occupation	MedianHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Chemical Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$106,020	$59,920 – $124,930	1,420
2	Gas Plant OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$85,530	$70,370 – $100,660	1,510
3	Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and GaugersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$84,100	$45,670 – $114,350	5,510
4	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$79,430	$36,630 – $106,230	9,390
5	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$75,330	$46,060 – $128,360	15,270
6	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,280	$39,960 – $81,470	8,140
7	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,940	$38,480 – $81,940	15,850
8	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,940	$37,180 – $74,920	1,980
9	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,520	$36,540 – $77,470	1,580
10	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,280	$34,850 – $71,650	5,200
11	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,950	$34,210 – $61,480	4,590
12	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,630	$32,540 – $77,090	16,520
13	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,650	$31,320 – $58,920	1,780
14	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,270	$30,870 – $62,170	3,620
15	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,820	$32,050 – $63,110	1,550
16	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,420	$34,900 – $57,340	3,810
17	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,280	$28,480 – $51,680	1,290
18	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,650	$29,360 – $49,070	1,090
19	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,050	$29,150 – $66,930	2,320
20	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,180	$29,000 – $58,270	1,710
21	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,070	$30,060 – $61,470	3,420
22	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$38,120	$23,540 – $56,160	2,700
23	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,890	$28,740 – $56,040	21,170
24	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,770	$25,520 – $67,390	4,230
25	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,290	$28,990 – $48,080	8,120
26	BakersNo formal educational credential	$34,290	$25,740 – $43,870	4,120
27	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$33,830	$17,720 – $47,850	3,210
28	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$33,530	$25,340 – $45,360	1,270
29	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$29,260	$22,880 – $37,060	4,340

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

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