High paying production jobs in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI

Every production occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI. 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI run 3.1% below the national average (2024), so a Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI salary is worth about 1.03× 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI

OccupationMedian, Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$75,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$52,040 – $102,7406,230
2Tool and Die Makers$68,120
Postsecondary nondegree award
$47,750 – $83,380830
3Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$66,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$51,010 – $84,870440
4Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers$66,860
Postsecondary nondegree award
$60,250 – $79,980650
5Machinists$60,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,190 – $78,5604,230
6Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$59,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,190 – $72,3703,400
7Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$57,780
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,050 – $76,9502,240
8Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$54,410
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,920 – $65,480920
9Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$50,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,390 – $73,720620
10Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,480
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,680 – $62,870750
11Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$49,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,130 – $71,6904,230
12Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,080
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,220 – $72,4701,160
13Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$48,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,090 – $63,140350
14Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,870
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,280 – $62,0701,120
15Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,710 – $61,8302,010
16Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,940 – $58,710280
17Butchers and Meat Cutters$47,780
No formal educational credential
$29,110 – $56,090910
18Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,530 – $60,9101,080
19Printing Press Operators$47,400
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,260 – $65,2602,590
20Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,630
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,230 – $64,830310
21Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,220 – $62,050420
22Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$46,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,290 – $60,7703,500
23Foundry Mold and Coremakers$46,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,850 – $62,490400
24Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$45,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,580 – $55,9802,190
25Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$45,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,470 – $59,72010,520
26Print Binding and Finishing Workers$44,360
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,240 – $59,0401,490
27Production Workers, All Other$44,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,310 – $59,6101,870
28Food Batchmakers$43,410
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,350 – $57,6202,050
29Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$43,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,630 – $60,2102,280
30Slaughterers and Meat Packers$43,060
No formal educational credential
$35,930 – $53,270420
31Helpers--Production Workers$41,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,330 – $51,760580
32Sewing Machine Operators$38,600
No formal educational credential
$28,660 – $48,280560
33Bakers$37,580
No formal educational credential
$29,640 – $47,5201,530
34Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$36,310
No formal educational credential
$29,980 – $43,0401,020

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

#	Occupation	MedianMilwaukee-Waukesha, WI	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$75,660	$52,040 – $102,740	6,230
2	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$68,120	$47,750 – $83,380	830
3	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$66,980	$51,010 – $84,870	440
4	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool ProgrammersPostsecondary nondegree award	$66,860	$60,250 – $79,980	650
5	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,320	$44,190 – $78,560	4,230
6	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,390	$48,190 – $72,370	3,400
7	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,780	$41,050 – $76,950	2,240
8	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,410	$41,920 – $65,480	920
9	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,020	$41,390 – $73,720	620
10	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,480	$43,680 – $62,870	750
11	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,180	$37,130 – $71,690	4,230
12	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,080	$39,220 – $72,470	1,160
13	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,900	$40,090 – $63,140	350
14	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,870	$37,280 – $62,070	1,120
15	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,650	$38,710 – $61,830	2,010
16	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,040	$36,940 – $58,710	280
17	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$47,780	$29,110 – $56,090	910
18	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,750	$39,530 – $60,910	1,080
19	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,400	$36,260 – $65,260	2,590
20	Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,630	$33,230 – $64,830	310
21	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,520	$34,220 – $62,050	420
22	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,380	$37,290 – $60,770	3,500
23	Foundry Mold and CoremakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,200	$34,850 – $62,490	400
24	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,980	$34,580 – $55,980	2,190
25	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,770	$36,470 – $59,720	10,520
26	Print Binding and Finishing WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,360	$37,240 – $59,040	1,490
27	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,230	$29,310 – $59,610	1,870
28	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,410	$35,350 – $57,620	2,050
29	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,390	$34,630 – $60,210	2,280
30	Slaughterers and Meat PackersNo formal educational credential	$43,060	$35,930 – $53,270	420
31	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,820	$33,330 – $51,760	580
32	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$38,600	$28,660 – $48,280	560
33	BakersNo formal educational credential	$37,580	$29,640 – $47,520	1,530
34	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$36,310	$29,980 – $43,040	1,020

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI. 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI

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