High paying production jobs in North Carolina

Every production occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in North Carolina. 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 North Carolina run 5.7% below the national average (2024), so a North Carolina salary is worth about 1.06× 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 North Carolina.

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

Find production jobs in North Carolina

OccupationMedian, North Carolina · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$69,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,960 – $101,03022,240
2Tire Builders$63,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,750 – $79,7403,750
3Tool and Die Makers$61,060
Postsecondary nondegree award
$43,770 – $79,1801,580
4Machinists$55,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,110 – $75,5708,330
5Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$53,330
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,080 – $60,3902,950
6Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$51,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,860 – $75,6003,620
7Upholsterers$50,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,270 – $74,4904,050
8Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$50,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,540 – $71,24011,750
9Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$50,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,410 – $80,7703,680
10Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$49,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,500 – $72,2205,260
11Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,480 – $63,4104,800
12Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,690 – $58,9501,610
13Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,360 – $67,6603,200
14Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,380 – $62,7803,400
15Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,610 – $67,7305,700
16Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$46,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,590 – $71,77019,700
17Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$46,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,850 – $58,4102,900
18Engine and Other Machine Assemblers$45,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,980 – $95,6602,750
19Printing Press Operators$45,630
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,600 – $62,0103,910
20Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$45,080
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,600 – $59,1806,780
21Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$43,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,470 – $59,8303,100
22Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$43,400
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,180 – $62,1203,940
23Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$43,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$26,510 – $66,8103,420
24Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$41,630
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,370 – $59,1707,570
25Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$41,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,140 – $59,22011,870
26Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$40,330
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,600 – $60,33046,670
27Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers$40,090
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,650 – $59,2401,980
28Slaughterers and Meat Packers$39,930
No formal educational credential
$31,200 – $49,5506,120
29Helpers--Production Workers$39,410
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,350 – $50,5804,350
30Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$39,170
No formal educational credential
$29,710 – $41,6409,750
31Production Workers, All Other$38,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,590 – $60,63018,350
32Butchers and Meat Cutters$38,240
No formal educational credential
$28,510 – $50,0803,120
33Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$38,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,120 – $53,8802,020
34Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$37,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,180 – $48,1204,090
35Food Processing Workers, All Other$37,360
No formal educational credential
$28,660 – $45,3204,770
36Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$36,700
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,650 – $47,8702,730
37Food Batchmakers$36,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,030 – $51,0703,450
38Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$36,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,370 – $44,1304,190
39Sewing Machine Operators$35,160
No formal educational credential
$26,560 – $48,5708,290
40Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders$34,830
High school diploma or equivalent
$27,210 – $50,0401,590
41Bakers$34,510
No formal educational credential
$19,690 – $45,8009,320
42Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$31,920
No formal educational credential
$26,020 – $38,3605,570

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

#	Occupation	MedianNorth Carolina	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$69,640	$45,960 – $101,030	22,240
2	Tire BuildersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,950	$47,750 – $79,740	3,750
3	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$61,060	$43,770 – $79,180	1,580
4	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,230	$37,110 – $75,570	8,330
5	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,330	$38,080 – $60,390	2,950
6	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,680	$37,860 – $75,600	3,620
7	UpholsterersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,600	$38,270 – $74,490	4,050
8	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,590	$38,540 – $71,240	11,750
9	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,440	$37,410 – $80,770	3,680
10	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,650	$38,500 – $72,220	5,260
11	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,940	$35,480 – $63,410	4,800
12	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,770	$34,690 – $58,950	1,610
13	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,320	$37,360 – $67,660	3,200
14	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,020	$36,380 – $62,780	3,400
15	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,730	$35,610 – $67,730	5,700
16	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,430	$31,590 – $71,770	19,700
17	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,010	$34,850 – $58,410	2,900
18	Engine and Other Machine AssemblersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,750	$37,980 – $95,660	2,750
19	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,630	$29,600 – $62,010	3,910
20	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,080	$29,600 – $59,180	6,780
21	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,770	$34,470 – $59,830	3,100
22	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,400	$35,180 – $62,120	3,940
23	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,050	$26,510 – $66,810	3,420
24	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,630	$31,370 – $59,170	7,570
25	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,150	$31,140 – $59,220	11,870
26	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,330	$30,600 – $60,330	46,670
27	Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass FibersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,090	$34,650 – $59,240	1,980
28	Slaughterers and Meat PackersNo formal educational credential	$39,930	$31,200 – $49,550	6,120
29	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,410	$30,350 – $50,580	4,350
30	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$39,170	$29,710 – $41,640	9,750
31	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,790	$29,590 – $60,630	18,350
32	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$38,240	$28,510 – $50,080	3,120
33	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,100	$29,120 – $53,880	2,020
34	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,550	$30,180 – $48,120	4,090
35	Food Processing Workers, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$37,360	$28,660 – $45,320	4,770
36	Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,700	$28,650 – $47,870	2,730
37	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,590	$29,030 – $51,070	3,450
38	Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,580	$30,370 – $44,130	4,190
39	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$35,160	$26,560 – $48,570	8,290
40	Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$34,830	$27,210 – $50,040	1,590
41	BakersNo formal educational credential	$34,510	$19,690 – $45,800	9,320
42	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$31,920	$26,020 – $38,360	5,570

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

Metro areas in North Carolina

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

By field in North Carolina

Without a degree

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

High paying production jobs in North Carolina

More for North Carolina

Metro areas in North Carolina

By field in North Carolina

Without a degree

High paying production jobs in each state