High paying production jobs in St. Cloud, MN

Every production occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in St. Cloud, MN. 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 St. Cloud, MN run 12.4% below the national average (2024), so a St. Cloud, MN salary is worth about 1.14× 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 St. Cloud, MN

OccupationMedian, St. Cloud, MN · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$74,760
High school diploma or equivalent
$53,230 – $98,520600
2Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$74,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$60,090 – $77,910100
3Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators$73,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$54,560 – $82,27060
4Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers$67,050
Postsecondary nondegree award
$52,540 – $83,61050
5Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$62,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,510 – $80,540620
6Machinists$62,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,280 – $77,340460
7Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$60,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,670 – $73,250110
8Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$58,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,800 – $60,320140
9Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$57,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,990 – $73,420190
10Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$57,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,310 – $62,67050
11Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$57,090
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,670 – $61,190140
12Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$56,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,000 – $67,820190
13Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$52,330
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,950 – $61,5501,620
14Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$51,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,050 – $62,94060
15Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,680 – $65,83080
16Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$50,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,780 – $72,440360
17Dental Laboratory Technicians$49,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,720 – $70,95050
18Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$49,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,400 – $59,87040
19Printing Press Operators$49,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,170 – $71,120170
20Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,320 – $61,850160
21Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders$48,370
No formal educational credential
$36,050 – $65,78070
22Furniture Finishers$48,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,070 – $68,64040
23Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders$47,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,190 – $47,83040
24Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,200 – $60,010100
25Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$46,270
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,090 – $59,460290
26Print Binding and Finishing Workers$45,410
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,700 – $60,60070
27Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,860 – $55,26050
28Production Workers, All Other$45,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,560 – $56,41050
29Butchers and Meat Cutters$42,850
No formal educational credential
$28,840 – $57,49070
30Helpers--Production Workers$42,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,990 – $53,880110
31Food Batchmakers$40,780
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,620 – $58,170270
32Bakers$40,280
No formal educational credential
$30,610 – $51,200180
33Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$39,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,110 – $49,570460
34Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians$39,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,020 – $49,080520
35Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$38,650
No formal educational credential
$36,520 – $44,740200
36Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$36,790
No formal educational credential
$33,640 – $45,380210

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

#	Occupation	MedianSt. Cloud, MN	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$74,760	$53,230 – $98,520	600
2	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$74,670	$60,090 – $77,910	100
3	Stationary Engineers and Boiler OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$73,930	$54,560 – $82,270	60
4	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool ProgrammersPostsecondary nondegree award	$67,050	$52,540 – $83,610	50
5	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,820	$48,510 – $80,540	620
6	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,230	$48,280 – $77,340	460
7	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,460	$45,670 – $73,250	110
8	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,450	$46,800 – $60,320	140
9	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,980	$42,990 – $73,420	190
10	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,110	$43,310 – $62,670	50
11	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,090	$40,670 – $61,190	140
12	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,380	$44,000 – $67,820	190
13	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,330	$37,950 – $61,550	1,620
14	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,060	$40,050 – $62,940	60
15	Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,850	$43,680 – $65,830	80
16	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,450	$41,780 – $72,440	360
17	Dental Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,800	$36,720 – $70,950	50
18	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,790	$38,400 – $59,870	40
19	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,220	$37,170 – $71,120	170
20	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,370	$47,320 – $61,850	160
21	Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and TendersNo formal educational credential	$48,370	$36,050 – $65,780	70
22	Furniture FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,140	$39,070 – $68,640	40
23	Food Cooking Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,380	$43,190 – $47,830	40
24	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,070	$40,200 – $60,010	100
25	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,270	$38,090 – $59,460	290
26	Print Binding and Finishing WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,410	$37,700 – $60,600	70
27	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,220	$35,860 – $55,260	50
28	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,100	$28,560 – $56,410	50
29	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$42,850	$28,840 – $57,490	70
30	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,620	$34,990 – $53,880	110
31	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,780	$30,620 – $58,170	270
32	BakersNo formal educational credential	$40,280	$30,610 – $51,200	180
33	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,620	$35,110 – $49,570	460
34	Ophthalmic Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,370	$34,020 – $49,080	520
35	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$38,650	$36,520 – $44,740	200
36	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$36,790	$33,640 – $45,380	210

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in St. Cloud, MN. 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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High paying production jobs in St. Cloud, MN

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