High paying production jobs in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY run 4.2% below the national average (2024), so a Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY salary is worth about 1.04× 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

OccupationMedian, Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY · Employed

1Tool and Die Makers$81,510
Postsecondary nondegree award
$50,410 – $94,730250
2First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$77,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,280 – $107,2202,250
3Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators$69,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$52,180 – $92,510300
4Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$63,080
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,450 – $79,470580
5Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$61,700
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,370 – $77,140230
6Machinists$60,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,210 – $80,4001,460
7Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$57,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,970 – $79,050260
8Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$55,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,500 – $81,890360
9Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$55,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,880 – $74,110970
10Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$54,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,860 – $78,770920
11Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,810 – $66,090450
12Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$50,400
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,310 – $64,960820
13Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,690 – $62,620220
14Butchers and Meat Cutters$49,070
No formal educational credential
$35,220 – $57,250300
15Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,880
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,580 – $81,090370
16Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$48,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,420 – $74,9502,270
17Printing Press Operators$47,810
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,370 – $61,300640
18Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,610 – $78,790790
19Dental Laboratory Technicians$47,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,670 – $66,090310
20Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,610 – $57,160220
21Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,290
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,300 – $64,870380
22Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,120
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,950 – $63,450370
23Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$45,400
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,640 – $72,6201,930
24Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$45,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,060 – $64,3304,230
25Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$44,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,240 – $62,280480
26Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$43,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,750 – $59,160550
27Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$41,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,240 – $60,8801,920
28Helpers--Production Workers$41,720
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,930 – $50,310420
29Production Workers, All Other$41,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,440 – $57,400320
30Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$37,630
No formal educational credential
$32,240 – $52,050220
31Bakers$37,610
No formal educational credential
$32,240 – $46,800900
32Sewing Machine Operators$37,180
No formal educational credential
$32,240 – $48,890240
33Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$34,980
No formal educational credential
$32,240 – $43,320640
34Food Batchmakers$34,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,240 – $49,320750

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

#	Occupation	MedianBuffalo-Cheektowaga, NY	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$81,510	$50,410 – $94,730	250
2	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$77,060	$50,280 – $107,220	2,250
3	Stationary Engineers and Boiler OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$69,260	$52,180 – $92,510	300
4	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,080	$49,450 – $79,470	580
5	Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,700	$49,370 – $77,140	230
6	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,650	$40,210 – $80,400	1,460
7	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,100	$37,970 – $79,050	260
8	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,990	$46,500 – $81,890	360
9	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,420	$41,880 – $74,110	970
10	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,340	$38,860 – $78,770	920
11	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,620	$37,810 – $66,090	450
12	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,400	$40,310 – $64,960	820
13	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,100	$38,690 – $62,620	220
14	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$49,070	$35,220 – $57,250	300
15	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,880	$35,580 – $81,090	370
16	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,620	$36,420 – $74,950	2,270
17	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,810	$34,370 – $61,300	640
18	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,790	$37,610 – $78,790	790
19	Dental Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,610	$37,670 – $66,090	310
20	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,180	$35,610 – $57,160	220
21	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,290	$37,300 – $64,870	380
22	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,120	$36,950 – $63,450	370
23	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,400	$35,640 – $72,620	1,930
24	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,390	$35,060 – $64,330	4,230
25	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,660	$32,240 – $62,280	480
26	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,340	$37,750 – $59,160	550
27	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,900	$32,240 – $60,880	1,920
28	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,720	$34,930 – $50,310	420
29	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,600	$34,440 – $57,400	320
30	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$37,630	$32,240 – $52,050	220
31	BakersNo formal educational credential	$37,610	$32,240 – $46,800	900
32	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$37,180	$32,240 – $48,890	240
33	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$34,980	$32,240 – $43,320	640
34	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$34,320	$32,240 – $49,320	750

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY. 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY with no degree

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