High paying production jobs in Memphis, TN-MS-AR

Every production occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Memphis, TN-MS-AR. 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 Memphis, TN-MS-AR run 7.8% below the national average (2024), so a Memphis, TN-MS-AR salary is worth about 1.08× 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 Memphis, TN-MS-AR

OccupationMedian, Memphis, TN-MS-AR · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$65,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,550 – $109,3802,910
2Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$59,270
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,920 – $80,410690
3Machinists$59,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,630 – $74,3401,050
4Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$54,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,030 – $85,380270
5Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$52,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,240 – $78,550510
6Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$52,290
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,200 – $71,390390
7Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,110 – $58,090470
8Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,470
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,220 – $64,030930
9Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$48,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,620 – $65,2801,590
10Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$48,510
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,740 – $65,990250
11Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,480
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,650 – $77,150350
12Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,820 – $61,290490
13Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,280 – $47,770370
14Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$44,910
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,750 – $65,9403,160
15Printing Press Operators$43,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,070 – $58,650500
16Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$42,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,110 – $50,5901,580
17Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$42,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,100 – $60,930240
18Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$40,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,390 – $49,860200
19Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$39,880
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,290 – $49,340440
20Helpers--Production Workers$39,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$27,700 – $57,560480
21Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$38,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,570 – $49,1805,120
22Production Workers, All Other$38,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,180 – $56,9502,680
23Food Processing Workers, All Other$38,170
No formal educational credential
$27,420 – $52,210290
24Food Batchmakers$38,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,020 – $66,330550
25Butchers and Meat Cutters$37,260
No formal educational credential
$25,510 – $49,850450
26Sewing Machine Operators$33,990
No formal educational credential
$20,830 – $45,670430
27Bakers$33,400
No formal educational credential
$22,860 – $39,430640
28Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$31,560
No formal educational credential
$26,670 – $37,780940
29Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$30,190
No formal educational credential
$27,480 – $39,280330

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

#	Occupation	MedianMemphis, TN-MS-AR	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$65,990	$42,550 – $109,380	2,910
2	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,270	$38,920 – $80,410	690
3	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,220	$39,630 – $74,340	1,050
4	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,460	$37,030 – $85,380	270
5	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,440	$28,240 – $78,550	510
6	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,290	$35,200 – $71,390	390
7	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,140	$38,110 – $58,090	470
8	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,470	$37,220 – $64,030	930
9	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,600	$38,620 – $65,280	1,590
10	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,510	$32,740 – $65,990	250
11	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,480	$36,650 – $77,150	350
12	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,050	$36,820 – $61,290	490
13	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,600	$33,280 – $47,770	370
14	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,910	$35,750 – $65,940	3,160
15	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,450	$33,070 – $58,650	500
16	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,570	$34,110 – $50,590	1,580
17	Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,050	$40,100 – $60,930	240
18	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,560	$31,390 – $49,860	200
19	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,880	$35,290 – $49,340	440
20	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,240	$27,700 – $57,560	480
21	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,530	$31,570 – $49,180	5,120
22	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,350	$31,180 – $56,950	2,680
23	Food Processing Workers, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$38,170	$27,420 – $52,210	290
24	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,010	$30,020 – $66,330	550
25	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$37,260	$25,510 – $49,850	450
26	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$33,990	$20,830 – $45,670	430
27	BakersNo formal educational credential	$33,400	$22,860 – $39,430	640
28	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$31,560	$26,670 – $37,780	940
29	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$30,190	$27,480 – $39,280	330

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Memphis, TN-MS-AR. 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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By field in Memphis, TN-MS-AR

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

High paying production jobs in Memphis, TN-MS-AR

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