High paying production jobs in Akron, OH with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Akron, OH that require no bachelor's degree — a high school diploma, a certificate, or an associate's degree is the typical entry. This is the narrowest cut on the site, so it is also the shortest list: where a field has only two or three such occupations, there is no page at all rather than a page pretending otherwise.

Cost of living: prices in Akron, OH run 6.6% below the national average (2024), so a Akron, OH salary is worth about 1.07× 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 Akron, OH

OccupationMedian, Akron, OH · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$70,830
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,750 – $96,7201,720
2Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers$61,910
Postsecondary nondegree award
$47,000 – $91,670110
3Tool and Die Makers$61,440
Postsecondary nondegree award
$40,310 – $77,600280
4Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$60,410
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,210 – $69,430240
5Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$59,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,620 – $74,970650
6Machinists$56,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,000 – $74,3301,090
7Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$54,120
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,330 – $60,340100
8Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$53,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,770 – $77,9401,310
9Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$50,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,870 – $77,8201,170
10Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,220 – $68,430490
11Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,890 – $62,420310
12Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,860 – $58,030230
13Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic$48,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,170 – $69,720100
14Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$47,780
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,640 – $78,6701,600
15Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers$47,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,230 – $66,940110
16Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,140 – $58,670290
17Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$46,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,640 – $58,480580
18Food Batchmakers$46,510
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,980 – $57,380420
19Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,500
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,340 – $57,700130
20Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,010 – $61,880610
21Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,330
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,770 – $61,680450
22Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$45,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,040 – $76,020460
23Printing Press Operators$44,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,910 – $59,170500
24Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$44,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,350 – $59,2801,420
25Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$42,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,020 – $59,4403,720
26Production Workers, All Other$41,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,660 – $74,260540
27Helpers--Production Workers$40,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,310 – $53,310200
28Print Binding and Finishing Workers$39,970
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,060 – $53,910140
29Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$39,720
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,820 – $57,300570
30Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$39,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,380 – $51,290650
31Butchers and Meat Cutters$36,720
No formal educational credential
$26,110 – $50,180390
32Sewing Machine Operators$36,230
No formal educational credential
$29,380 – $44,470140
33Bakers$35,920
No formal educational credential
$25,250 – $47,600520
34Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$30,540
No formal educational credential
$26,300 – $37,730500

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

#	Occupation	MedianAkron, OH	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$70,830	$47,750 – $96,720	1,720
2	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool ProgrammersPostsecondary nondegree award	$61,910	$47,000 – $91,670	110
3	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$61,440	$40,310 – $77,600	280
4	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,410	$49,210 – $69,430	240
5	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,280	$44,620 – $74,970	650
6	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,380	$37,000 – $74,330	1,090
7	Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,120	$44,330 – $60,340	100
8	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,100	$37,770 – $77,940	1,310
9	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,340	$41,870 – $77,820	1,170
10	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,900	$36,220 – $68,430	490
11	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,580	$37,890 – $62,420	310
12	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,580	$37,860 – $58,030	230
13	Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,320	$37,170 – $69,720	100
14	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,780	$35,640 – $78,670	1,600
15	Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,460	$39,230 – $66,940	110
16	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,110	$36,140 – $58,670	290
17	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,770	$32,640 – $58,480	580
18	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,510	$34,980 – $57,380	420
19	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,500	$35,340 – $57,700	130
20	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,770	$33,010 – $61,880	610
21	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,330	$36,770 – $61,680	450
22	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,220	$38,040 – $76,020	460
23	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,650	$34,910 – $59,170	500
24	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,530	$35,350 – $59,280	1,420
25	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,530	$34,020 – $59,440	3,720
26	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,160	$29,660 – $74,260	540
27	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,000	$34,310 – $53,310	200
28	Print Binding and Finishing WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,970	$30,060 – $53,910	140
29	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,720	$33,820 – $57,300	570
30	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,620	$29,380 – $51,290	650
31	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$36,720	$26,110 – $50,180	390
32	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$36,230	$29,380 – $44,470	140
33	BakersNo formal educational credential	$35,920	$25,250 – $47,600	520
34	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$30,540	$26,300 – $37,730	500

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

High paying production jobs in Akron, OH with no degree

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