High paying production jobs in Portland-South Portland, ME

Every production occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Portland-South Portland, ME. 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 Portland-South Portland, ME run 1.9% above the national average (2024), so a Portland-South Portland, ME salary is worth about 0.98× 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 Portland-South Portland, ME

OccupationMedian, Portland-South Portland, ME · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$82,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$51,170 – $104,3301,550
2Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$66,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$51,880 – $78,8301,060
3Machinists$65,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,540 – $80,2501,100
4Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$64,760
High school diploma or equivalent
$52,280 – $75,790590
5Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$63,810
High school diploma or equivalent
$52,740 – $79,880230
6Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$62,690
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,020 – $81,120320
7Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers, All Other$61,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$54,180 – $76,34090
8Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$60,860
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,750 – $79,7301,020
9Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$59,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,590 – $71,890140
10Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$59,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,220 – $123,360310
11Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$58,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,380 – $63,420240
12Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$55,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,130 – $66,070160
13Production Workers, All Other$51,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,400 – $64,770380
14Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators$50,710
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,720 – $62,790120
15Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$50,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,620 – $65,190420
16Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$48,710
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,020 – $58,83090
17Printing Press Operators$48,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,320 – $61,330130
18Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$48,360
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,700 – $58,750590
19Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$48,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,430 – $75,6201,830
20Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,800 – $60,700130
21Semiconductor Processing Technicians$47,270
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,120 – $62,130320
22Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$47,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,530 – $60,480470
23Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$45,800
No formal educational credential
$34,560 – $62,990310
24Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,720
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,550 – $55,550140
25Sewing Machine Operators$45,160
No formal educational credential
$34,920 – $54,400240
26Butchers and Meat Cutters$44,360
No formal educational credential
$36,270 – $59,100300
27Food Batchmakers$44,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,410 – $54,770320
28Helpers--Production Workers$43,870
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,550 – $51,710120
29Bakers$38,460
No formal educational credential
$34,260 – $47,520630
30Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$37,640
No formal educational credential
$36,120 – $44,760380

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

#	Occupation	MedianPortland-South Portland, ME	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$82,740	$51,170 – $104,330	1,550
2	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$66,420	$51,880 – $78,830	1,060
3	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$65,200	$50,540 – $80,250	1,100
4	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$64,760	$52,280 – $75,790	590
5	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,810	$52,740 – $79,880	230
6	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,690	$47,020 – $81,120	320
7	Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,070	$54,180 – $76,340	90
8	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,860	$34,750 – $79,730	1,020
9	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,820	$43,590 – $71,890	140
10	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,420	$46,220 – $123,360	310
11	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,580	$46,380 – $63,420	240
12	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,920	$42,130 – $66,070	160
13	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,420	$38,400 – $64,770	380
14	Fiberglass Laminators and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,710	$41,720 – $62,790	120
15	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,260	$37,620 – $65,190	420
16	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,710	$39,020 – $58,830	90
17	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,520	$39,320 – $61,330	130
18	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,360	$37,700 – $58,750	590
19	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,240	$38,430 – $75,620	1,830
20	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,050	$44,800 – $60,700	130
21	Semiconductor Processing TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,270	$40,120 – $62,130	320
22	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,240	$38,530 – $60,480	470
23	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$45,800	$34,560 – $62,990	310
24	Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,720	$39,550 – $55,550	140
25	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$45,160	$34,920 – $54,400	240
26	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$44,360	$36,270 – $59,100	300
27	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,200	$36,410 – $54,770	320
28	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,870	$37,550 – $51,710	120
29	BakersNo formal educational credential	$38,460	$34,260 – $47,520	630
30	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$37,640	$36,120 – $44,760	380

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Portland-South Portland, ME. 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 Portland-South Portland, ME to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Portland-South Portland, ME

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