High paying production jobs in St. Louis, MO-IL

Every production occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in St. Louis, MO-IL. 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. Louis, MO-IL run 4.9% below the national average (2024), so a St. Louis, MO-IL salary is worth about 1.05× 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. Louis, MO-IL

OccupationMedian, St. Louis, MO-IL · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$75,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,480 – $103,4205,920
2Machinists$62,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,230 – $89,9505,620
3Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$62,090
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,790 – $80,0804,480
4Tool and Die Makers$59,610
Postsecondary nondegree award
$43,590 – $94,550570
5Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$57,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,780 – $81,6601,220
6Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$56,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,660 – $77,050590
7Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$54,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,210 – $80,970570
8Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$53,500
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,950 – $77,7001,250
9Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$53,360
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,340 – $82,850730
10Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$52,630
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,250 – $74,9501,270
11Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$52,310
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,600 – $70,5001,000
12Food Batchmakers$52,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,880 – $62,460990
13Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$51,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,260 – $80,0105,540
14Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$51,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,770 – $72,1402,820
15Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,360
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,970 – $69,9101,050
16Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,480 – $63,410490
17Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,900 – $57,570680
18Printing Press Operators$47,710
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,340 – $71,7201,570
19Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$47,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,730 – $67,1904,910
20Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,750 – $68,7201,560
21Dental Laboratory Technicians$47,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,000 – $78,430500
22Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$46,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,980 – $75,38010,680
23Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,100 – $64,030740
24Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$44,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,290 – $62,0101,640
25Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$44,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,990 – $63,140960
26Butchers and Meat Cutters$42,660
No formal educational credential
$31,200 – $56,720790
27Production Workers, All Other$40,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,420 – $73,2303,530
28Helpers--Production Workers$40,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,000 – $56,6602,290
29Print Binding and Finishing Workers$39,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,920 – $58,700460
30Sewing Machine Operators$36,800
No formal educational credential
$31,360 – $44,480780
31Bakers$35,830
No formal educational credential
$30,300 – $47,3702,000
32Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$34,910
No formal educational credential
$30,180 – $40,5801,780

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

#	Occupation	MedianSt. Louis, MO-IL	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$75,210	$47,480 – $103,420	5,920
2	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,210	$47,230 – $89,950	5,620
3	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,090	$43,790 – $80,080	4,480
4	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$59,610	$43,590 – $94,550	570
5	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,850	$44,780 – $81,660	1,220
6	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,320	$35,660 – $77,050	590
7	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,610	$38,210 – $80,970	570
8	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,500	$37,950 – $77,700	1,250
9	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,360	$39,340 – $82,850	730
10	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,630	$37,250 – $74,950	1,270
11	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,310	$40,600 – $70,500	1,000
12	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,000	$36,880 – $62,460	990
13	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,790	$35,260 – $80,010	5,540
14	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,640	$38,770 – $72,140	2,820
15	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,360	$38,970 – $69,910	1,050
16	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,020	$35,480 – $63,410	490
17	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,570	$41,900 – $57,570	680
18	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,710	$36,340 – $71,720	1,570
19	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,460	$34,730 – $67,190	4,910
20	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,240	$37,750 – $68,720	1,560
21	Dental Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,160	$40,000 – $78,430	500
22	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,570	$32,980 – $75,380	10,680
23	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,230	$37,100 – $64,030	740
24	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,370	$33,290 – $62,010	1,640
25	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,020	$33,990 – $63,140	960
26	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$42,660	$31,200 – $56,720	790
27	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,900	$36,420 – $73,230	3,530
28	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,190	$35,000 – $56,660	2,290
29	Print Binding and Finishing WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,200	$31,920 – $58,700	460
30	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$36,800	$31,360 – $44,480	780
31	BakersNo formal educational credential	$35,830	$30,300 – $47,370	2,000
32	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$34,910	$30,180 – $40,580	1,780

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in St. Louis, MO-IL. 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 St. Louis, MO-IL to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in St. Louis, MO-IL

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