High paying production jobs in Modesto, CA

Every production occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Modesto, CA. 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 Modesto, CA run 4.1% above the national average (2024), so a Modesto, CA salary is worth about 0.96× 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 Modesto, CA

OccupationMedian, Modesto, CA · Employed

1Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$88,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,230 – $97,460140
2Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$78,710
High school diploma or equivalent
$53,340 – $97,550210
3First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$77,690
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,020 – $121,700810
4Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$73,690
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,830 – $74,9801,000
5Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders$61,130
No formal educational credential
$36,670 – $67,25070
6Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic$59,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,630 – $90,91070
7Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$59,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,470 – $59,760370
8Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders$59,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,020 – $82,930140
9Machinists$55,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,990 – $75,390140
10Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$53,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,000 – $73,910140
11Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$53,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,600 – $64,840720
12Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$52,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,850 – $75,670450
13Production Workers, All Other$52,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,910 – $70,840380
14Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,930 – $75,090150
15Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,960
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,460 – $61,320200
16Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$49,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,040 – $71,9801,610
17Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$49,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,900 – $66,410140
18Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$47,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,740 – $63,660160
19Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,280 – $62,760130
20Food Batchmakers$46,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,650 – $64,200360
21Printing Press Operators$46,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,700 – $74,10090
22Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,920 – $73,05070
23Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$45,510
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,320 – $59,680930
24Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$44,780
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,380 – $58,91070
25Butchers and Meat Cutters$41,720
No formal educational credential
$35,710 – $61,380300
26Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders$41,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,050 – $56,220170
27Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$40,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,770 – $53,19090
28Helpers--Production Workers$39,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,380 – $58,590230
29Bakers$39,450
No formal educational credential
$34,480 – $56,300400
30Food Processing Workers, All Other$39,040
No formal educational credential
$35,560 – $60,390380
31Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$38,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,630 – $51,050100
32Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$37,380
No formal educational credential
$34,850 – $42,400140
33Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$36,270
No formal educational credential
$35,940 – $44,580370

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

#	Occupation	MedianModesto, CA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$88,940	$38,230 – $97,460	140
2	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$78,710	$53,340 – $97,550	210
3	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$77,690	$49,020 – $121,700	810
4	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$73,690	$40,830 – $74,980	1,000
5	Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and TendersNo formal educational credential	$61,130	$36,670 – $67,250	70
6	Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,990	$39,630 – $90,910	70
7	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,150	$40,470 – $59,760	370
8	Food Cooking Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,010	$36,020 – $82,930	140
9	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,950	$39,990 – $75,390	140
10	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,600	$38,000 – $73,910	140
11	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,560	$37,600 – $64,840	720
12	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,590	$42,850 – $75,670	450
13	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,430	$35,910 – $70,840	380
14	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,020	$37,930 – $75,090	150
15	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,960	$38,460 – $61,320	200
16	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,460	$36,040 – $71,980	1,610
17	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,020	$36,900 – $66,410	140
18	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,240	$38,740 – $63,660	160
19	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,240	$36,280 – $62,760	130
20	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,670	$35,650 – $64,200	360
21	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,670	$37,700 – $74,100	90
22	Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,000	$36,920 – $73,050	70
23	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,510	$36,320 – $59,680	930
24	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,780	$37,380 – $58,910	70
25	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$41,720	$35,710 – $61,380	300
26	Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,420	$36,050 – $56,220	170
27	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,600	$35,770 – $53,190	90
28	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,900	$35,380 – $58,590	230
29	BakersNo formal educational credential	$39,450	$34,480 – $56,300	400
30	Food Processing Workers, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$39,040	$35,560 – $60,390	380
31	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,990	$38,630 – $51,050	100
32	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$37,380	$34,850 – $42,400	140
33	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$36,270	$35,940 – $44,580	370

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Modesto, CA. 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 Modesto, CA to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Modesto, CA

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