High paying production jobs in Johnson City, TN

Every production occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Johnson City, TN. 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 Johnson City, TN run 12.1% below the national average (2024), so a Johnson City, TN salary is worth about 1.14× 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 Johnson City, TN

OccupationMedian, Johnson City, TN · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$60,880
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,760 – $96,820430
2Tool and Die Makers$56,460
Postsecondary nondegree award
$41,610 – $69,48060
3Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$47,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,620 – $61,340130
4Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$46,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,460 – $58,700170
5Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$46,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,350 – $60,06060
6Machinists$45,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,050 – $59,920180
7Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$45,480
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,060 – $56,19050
8Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$44,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,130 – $65,500360
9Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$44,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,790 – $53,95070
10Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$43,480
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,210 – $44,7301,260
11Production Workers, All Other$42,480
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,220 – $49,270370
12Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$42,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,740 – $56,31090
13Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$40,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,500 – $49,020100
14Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$38,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,920 – $46,480240
15Helpers--Production Workers$37,120
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,440 – $46,84040
16Butchers and Meat Cutters$35,570
No formal educational credential
$27,890 – $45,51070
17Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$35,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,880 – $44,79090
18Printing Press Operators$34,130
High school diploma or equivalent
$25,510 – $47,17040
19Sewing Machine Operators$33,420
No formal educational credential
$23,460 – $42,01040
20Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$31,730
No formal educational credential
$26,810 – $40,870120
21Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$31,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,090 – $44,54030
22Bakers$30,720
No formal educational credential
$21,120 – $36,240200
23Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$29,860
No formal educational credential
$24,190 – $37,40050

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

#	Occupation	MedianJohnson City, TN	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,880	$42,760 – $96,820	430
2	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$56,460	$41,610 – $69,480	60
3	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,220	$35,620 – $61,340	130
4	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,070	$36,460 – $58,700	170
5	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,010	$35,350 – $60,060	60
6	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,550	$36,050 – $59,920	180
7	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,480	$40,060 – $56,190	50
8	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,980	$33,130 – $65,500	360
9	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,600	$33,790 – $53,950	70
10	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,480	$32,210 – $44,730	1,260
11	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,480	$30,220 – $49,270	370
12	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,140	$33,740 – $56,310	90
13	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,110	$31,500 – $49,020	100
14	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,820	$32,920 – $46,480	240
15	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,120	$29,440 – $46,840	40
16	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$35,570	$27,890 – $45,510	70
17	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,390	$29,880 – $44,790	90
18	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$34,130	$25,510 – $47,170	40
19	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$33,420	$23,460 – $42,010	40
20	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$31,730	$26,810 – $40,870	120
21	Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$31,680	$30,090 – $44,540	30
22	BakersNo formal educational credential	$30,720	$21,120 – $36,240	200
23	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$29,860	$24,190 – $37,400	50

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Johnson City, TN. 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 Johnson City, TN to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Johnson City, TN

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