High paying production jobs in Virginia

Every production occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Virginia. 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 Virginia run 1.1% above the national average (2024), so a Virginia salary is worth about 0.99× 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 Virginia.

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

Find production jobs in Virginia

OccupationMedian, Virginia · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$74,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,210 – $108,78013,530
2Machinists$61,290
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,120 – $86,3805,660
3Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$59,970
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,990 – $76,9102,040
4Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$59,480
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,460 – $80,8202,130
5Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$59,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,590 – $79,4703,460
6Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$59,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,520 – $79,63010,100
7Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,990 – $58,6601,530
8Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,970
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,800 – $65,7901,530
9Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,950 – $78,2102,370
10Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,880
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,160 – $71,3604,130
11Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$49,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,210 – $76,3909,830
12Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$49,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,620 – $69,7201,890
13Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,790 – $63,8301,810
14Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,300
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,550 – $60,6801,790
15Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$45,910
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,280 – $63,8002,170
16Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,360 – $64,0901,680
17Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,320 – $58,9301,490
18Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$44,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,880 – $63,4206,150
19Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$44,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,290 – $60,72021,750
20Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$44,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,870 – $60,6604,930
21Printing Press Operators$44,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,530 – $64,0203,210
22Food Batchmakers$41,080
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,670 – $56,1602,870
23Butchers and Meat Cutters$39,770
No formal educational credential
$31,290 – $55,8102,630
24Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$39,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,500 – $48,4101,520
25Production Workers, All Other$38,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,650 – $60,3104,970
26Helpers--Production Workers$37,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,000 – $52,0003,900
27Slaughterers and Meat Packers$37,430
No formal educational credential
$29,350 – $37,6901,480
28Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$36,170
No formal educational credential
$29,470 – $43,2402,740
29Sewing Machine Operators$35,790
No formal educational credential
$27,470 – $46,7602,010
30Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$35,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,480 – $47,7801,580
31Bakers$34,430
No formal educational credential
$28,140 – $46,6207,820
32Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$32,140
No formal educational credential
$26,490 – $38,5004,900

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

#	Occupation	MedianVirginia	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$74,150	$45,210 – $108,780	13,530
2	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,290	$45,120 – $86,380	5,660
3	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,970	$41,990 – $76,910	2,040
4	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,480	$37,460 – $80,820	2,130
5	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,420	$38,590 – $79,470	3,460
6	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,180	$42,520 – $79,630	10,100
7	Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,770	$36,990 – $58,660	1,530
8	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,970	$38,800 – $65,790	1,530
9	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,900	$36,950 – $78,210	2,370
10	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,880	$36,160 – $71,360	4,130
11	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,590	$36,210 – $76,390	9,830
12	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,590	$36,620 – $69,720	1,890
13	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,390	$37,790 – $63,830	1,810
14	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,300	$36,550 – $60,680	1,790
15	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,910	$33,280 – $63,800	2,170
16	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,370	$29,360 – $64,090	1,680
17	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,220	$38,320 – $58,930	1,490
18	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,950	$31,880 – $63,420	6,150
19	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,900	$32,290 – $60,720	21,750
20	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,660	$35,870 – $60,660	4,930
21	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,020	$30,530 – $64,020	3,210
22	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,080	$31,670 – $56,160	2,870
23	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$39,770	$31,290 – $55,810	2,630
24	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,370	$32,500 – $48,410	1,520
25	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,340	$33,650 – $60,310	4,970
26	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,740	$31,000 – $52,000	3,900
27	Slaughterers and Meat PackersNo formal educational credential	$37,430	$29,350 – $37,690	1,480
28	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$36,170	$29,470 – $43,240	2,740
29	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$35,790	$27,470 – $46,760	2,010
30	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,790	$30,480 – $47,780	1,580
31	BakersNo formal educational credential	$34,430	$28,140 – $46,620	7,820
32	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$32,140	$26,490 – $38,500	4,900

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

Metro areas in Virginia

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

By field in Virginia

Without a degree

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

High paying production jobs in Virginia

More for Virginia

Metro areas in Virginia

By field in Virginia

Without a degree

High paying production jobs in each state