High paying production jobs in Waco, TX

Every production occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Waco, TX. 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 Waco, TX run 7.5% below the national average (2024), so a Waco, TX salary is worth about 1.08× 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 Waco, TX

OccupationMedian, Waco, TX · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$69,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,470 – $98,610820
2Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$60,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,070 – $61,480140
3Plant and System Operators, All Other$52,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,650 – $110,84060
4Machinists$50,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,830 – $95,820250
5Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$49,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,320 – $92,160210
6Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,480
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,330 – $51,20050
7Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$46,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,370 – $94,380630
8Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$46,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,680 – $75,70070
9Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$46,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,240 – $62,770630
10Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,780 – $81,720240
11Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,470
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,370 – $64,98040
12Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$44,960
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,130 – $61,210110
13Production Workers, All Other$44,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,630 – $60,170210
14Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$44,360
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,260 – $62,250110
15Food Batchmakers$40,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,020 – $59,980390
16Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$39,120
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,550 – $49,6001,410
17Printing Press Operators$38,860
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,470 – $59,74060
18Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$38,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,050 – $55,40040
19Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$37,700
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,260 – $47,430180
20Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$37,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$26,770 – $58,720240
21Food Processing Workers, All Other$37,100
No formal educational credential
$20,480 – $46,480130
22Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$36,720
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,000 – $47,840110
23Butchers and Meat Cutters$36,630
No formal educational credential
$23,970 – $52,780110
24Dental Laboratory Technicians$36,490
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,680 – $61,36040
25Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$36,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,460 – $55,550320
26Helpers--Production Workers$35,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,970 – $42,700650
27Bakers$30,280
No formal educational credential
$24,350 – $38,120180
28Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$29,800
No formal educational credential
$22,230 – $43,080250
29Sewing Machine Operators$28,230
No formal educational credential
$23,760 – $42,46070

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

#	Occupation	MedianWaco, TX	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$69,230	$44,470 – $98,610	820
2	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,930	$38,070 – $61,480	140
3	Plant and System Operators, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,450	$36,650 – $110,840	60
4	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,380	$36,830 – $95,820	250
5	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,070	$43,320 – $92,160	210
6	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,480	$31,330 – $51,200	50
7	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,900	$35,370 – $94,380	630
8	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,730	$36,680 – $75,700	70
9	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,380	$38,240 – $62,770	630
10	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,010	$36,780 – $81,720	240
11	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,470	$35,370 – $64,980	40
12	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,960	$31,130 – $61,210	110
13	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,940	$32,630 – $60,170	210
14	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,360	$30,260 – $62,250	110
15	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,530	$28,020 – $59,980	390
16	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,120	$29,550 – $49,600	1,410
17	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,860	$32,470 – $59,740	60
18	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,650	$29,050 – $55,400	40
19	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,700	$34,260 – $47,430	180
20	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,260	$26,770 – $58,720	240
21	Food Processing Workers, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$37,100	$20,480 – $46,480	130
22	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,720	$31,000 – $47,840	110
23	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$36,630	$23,970 – $52,780	110
24	Dental Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,490	$29,680 – $61,360	40
25	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,070	$28,460 – $55,550	320
26	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,040	$29,970 – $42,700	650
27	BakersNo formal educational credential	$30,280	$24,350 – $38,120	180
28	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$29,800	$22,230 – $43,080	250
29	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$28,230	$23,760 – $42,460	70

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Waco, TX. 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 Waco, TX to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Waco, TX

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