High paying production jobs in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

Every production occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA run 9.9% above the national average (2024), so a Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA salary is worth about 0.91× 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

OccupationMedian, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$94,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$60,650 – $119,09080
2First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$74,690
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,240 – $123,610270
3Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$61,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,240 – $76,71050
4Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$59,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,520 – $79,26070
5Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$55,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,590 – $85,460100
6Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$54,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,330 – $65,37030
7Machinists$51,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,650 – $92,14070
8Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$51,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,850 – $91,780260
9Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$50,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,080 – $81,58090
10Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$49,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,550 – $81,63070
11Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$49,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,980 – $73,420140
12Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$47,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,530 – $65,550330
13Production Workers, All Other$46,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,900 – $105,60060
14Sewing Machine Operators$44,350
No formal educational credential
$36,850 – $64,66040
15Butchers and Meat Cutters$44,260
No formal educational credential
$36,390 – $60,700130
16Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$43,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,420 – $51,120390
17Printing Press Operators$43,480
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,310 – $64,42070
18Bakers$42,920
No formal educational credential
$35,880 – $54,950310
19Helpers--Production Workers$39,700
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,210 – $51,630100
20Food Batchmakers$39,090
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,050 – $51,11060
21Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$37,910
No formal educational credential
$36,130 – $45,900110
22Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$37,550
No formal educational credential
$35,670 – $57,76040

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

#	Occupation	MedianSanta Cruz-Watsonville, CA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$94,060	$60,650 – $119,090	80
2	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$74,690	$47,240 – $123,610	270
3	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,260	$42,240 – $76,710	50
4	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,280	$39,520 – $79,260	70
5	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,560	$46,590 – $85,460	100
6	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,340	$46,330 – $65,370	30
7	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,420	$38,650 – $92,140	70
8	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,210	$40,850 – $91,780	260
9	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,840	$40,080 – $81,580	90
10	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,340	$46,550 – $81,630	70
11	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,280	$37,980 – $73,420	140
12	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,560	$37,530 – $65,550	330
13	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,340	$37,900 – $105,600	60
14	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$44,350	$36,850 – $64,660	40
15	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$44,260	$36,390 – $60,700	130
16	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,610	$37,420 – $51,120	390
17	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,480	$37,310 – $64,420	70
18	BakersNo formal educational credential	$42,920	$35,880 – $54,950	310
19	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,700	$37,210 – $51,630	100
20	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,090	$36,050 – $51,110	60
21	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$37,910	$36,130 – $45,900	110
22	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$37,550	$35,670 – $57,760	40

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

High paying production jobs in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

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