High paying production jobs in Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN

Every production occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN. 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 Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN run 6.6% below the national average (2024), so a Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN salary is worth about 1.07× 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 Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN

OccupationMedian, Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN · Employed

1Tool and Die Makers$80,060
Postsecondary nondegree award
$59,260 – $81,36080
2First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$74,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$52,500 – $96,5801,720
3Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$66,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,410 – $67,04070
4Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers$63,570
Postsecondary nondegree award
$49,410 – $93,22030
5Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$63,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,750 – $71,8606,280
6Machinists$62,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,060 – $75,610720
7Food Batchmakers$60,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,220 – $60,690150
8Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$57,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,080 – $75,230180
9Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$54,720
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,760 – $61,360110
10Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$52,710
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,250 – $73,840260
11Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$52,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$27,780 – $58,90040
12Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$49,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $75,250680
13Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$49,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,410 – $61,780560
14Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,190 – $72,440190
15Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,660 – $75,13040
16Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$44,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,590 – $57,220220
17Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$44,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,920 – $64,74080
18Printing Press Operators$39,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,260 – $59,22070
19Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$38,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,620 – $49,240250
20Butchers and Meat Cutters$37,260
No formal educational credential
$29,410 – $49,37050
21Sewing Machine Operators$35,120
No formal educational credential
$30,130 – $43,07080
22Bakers$33,830
No formal educational credential
$22,160 – $45,220120
23Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$29,320
No formal educational credential
$23,000 – $38,96070

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

#	Occupation	MedianLafayette-West Lafayette, IN	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$80,060	$59,260 – $81,360	80
2	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$74,770	$52,500 – $96,580	1,720
3	Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$66,800	$39,410 – $67,040	70
4	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool ProgrammersPostsecondary nondegree award	$63,570	$49,410 – $93,220	30
5	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,140	$36,750 – $71,860	6,280
6	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,220	$41,060 – $75,610	720
7	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,680	$29,220 – $60,690	150
8	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,280	$44,080 – $75,230	180
9	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,720	$46,760 – $61,360	110
10	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,710	$40,250 – $73,840	260
11	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,170	$27,780 – $58,900	40
12	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,460	$31,200 – $75,250	680
13	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,020	$39,410 – $61,780	560
14	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,520	$38,190 – $72,440	190
15	Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,370	$39,660 – $75,130	40
16	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,920	$35,590 – $57,220	220
17	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,430	$34,920 – $64,740	80
18	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,100	$31,260 – $59,220	70
19	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,730	$35,620 – $49,240	250
20	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$37,260	$29,410 – $49,370	50
21	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$35,120	$30,130 – $43,070	80
22	BakersNo formal educational credential	$33,830	$22,160 – $45,220	120
23	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$29,320	$23,000 – $38,960	70

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN. 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 Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN

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