High paying production jobs in New Mexico

Every production occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in New Mexico. 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 New Mexico run 7.8% below the national average (2024), so a New Mexico 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. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in New Mexico.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find production jobs in New Mexico

OccupationMedian, New Mexico · Employed

1Gas Plant Operators$97,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$72,440 – $108,670300
2Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers$74,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,380 – $104,790420
3First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$64,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,600 – $126,8702,520
4Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$59,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,860 – $92,7602,390
5Machinists$59,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,250 – $90,170690
6Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$49,500
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,080 – $81,3401,550
7Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$48,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,110 – $80,0902,110
8Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$45,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,560 – $64,980400
9Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$41,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,470 – $56,100370
10Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$39,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,410 – $60,1301,550
11Food Batchmakers$37,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,990 – $52,640450
12Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$37,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,260 – $58,280540
13Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$36,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,230 – $63,140340
14Butchers and Meat Cutters$36,640
No formal educational credential
$29,170 – $49,930810
15Production Workers, All Other$36,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,900 – $60,2301,920
16Helpers--Production Workers$35,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,820 – $46,200810
17Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$35,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,480 – $47,2801,550
18Bakers$34,850
No formal educational credential
$29,630 – $44,5601,540
19Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$30,850
No formal educational credential
$27,210 – $36,6901,320

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

#	Occupation	MedianNew Mexico	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Gas Plant OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$97,660	$72,440 – $108,670	300
2	Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and GaugersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$74,340	$48,380 – $104,790	420
3	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$64,640	$41,600 – $126,870	2,520
4	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,840	$36,860 – $92,760	2,390
5	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,440	$39,250 – $90,170	690
6	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,500	$36,080 – $81,340	1,550
7	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,190	$36,110 – $80,090	2,110
8	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,730	$35,560 – $64,980	400
9	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,370	$32,470 – $56,100	370
10	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,340	$31,410 – $60,130	1,550
11	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,390	$28,990 – $52,640	450
12	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,210	$29,260 – $58,280	540
13	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,980	$28,230 – $63,140	340
14	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$36,640	$29,170 – $49,930	810
15	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,460	$29,900 – $60,230	1,920
16	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,650	$30,820 – $46,200	810
17	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,640	$30,480 – $47,280	1,550
18	BakersNo formal educational credential	$34,850	$29,630 – $44,560	1,540
19	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$30,850	$27,210 – $36,690	1,320

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in New Mexico. 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.

More for New Mexico

Metro areas in New Mexico

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in New Mexico

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in New Mexico to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in New Mexico

More for New Mexico

Metro areas in New Mexico

By field in New Mexico

Without a degree

High paying production jobs in each state