High paying production jobs in California with no degree

The best paid production occupations in California 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 California run 10.7% above the national average (2024), so a California salary is worth about 0.90× 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 California.

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

Find production jobs in California

OccupationMedian, California · Employed

1Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators$90,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,610 – $132,7305,840
2Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$81,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$56,030 – $123,38011,630
3First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$76,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,530 – $125,44048,550
4Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$58,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,520 – $81,94026,060
5Machinists$57,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,440 – $88,28018,950
6Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$56,510
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,670 – $76,84021,680
7Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$54,300
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,750 – $88,21061,130
8Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$52,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,790 – $82,64011,570
9Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$52,910
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,320 – $83,63014,210
10Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$49,030
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,740 – $67,7807,360
11Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,090 – $68,5007,710
12Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$48,080
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,580 – $74,99037,660
13Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$47,720
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,020 – $72,83098,390
14Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,790 – $61,4709,250
15Printing Press Operators$46,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,580 – $63,91012,320
16Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,890
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,510 – $62,6307,800
17Butchers and Meat Cutters$44,290
No formal educational credential
$35,470 – $61,01018,700
18Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$44,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,750 – $61,78043,430
19Helpers--Production Workers$43,970
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,640 – $62,13016,730
20Bakers$43,120
No formal educational credential
$36,510 – $54,96030,020
21Production Workers, All Other$41,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,570 – $71,14028,090
22Food Batchmakers$41,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,700 – $58,01012,560
23Slaughterers and Meat Packers$39,420
No formal educational credential
$35,050 – $49,4006,170
24Food Processing Workers, All Other$38,230
No formal educational credential
$35,290 – $48,4507,140
25Sewing Machine Operators$37,940
No formal educational credential
$34,950 – $49,04013,240
26Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$37,790
No formal educational credential
$35,450 – $46,24021,940
27Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$36,570
No formal educational credential
$34,950 – $46,0409,270

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

#	Occupation	MedianCalifornia	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Stationary Engineers and Boiler OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$90,650	$48,610 – $132,730	5,840
2	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$81,770	$56,030 – $123,380	11,630
3	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$76,840	$47,530 – $125,440	48,550
4	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,060	$44,520 – $81,940	26,060
5	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,190	$37,440 – $88,280	18,950
6	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,510	$39,670 – $76,840	21,680
7	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,300	$38,750 – $88,210	61,130
8	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,950	$36,790 – $82,640	11,570
9	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,910	$34,320 – $83,630	14,210
10	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,030	$38,740 – $67,780	7,360
11	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,450	$37,090 – $68,500	7,710
12	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,080	$37,580 – $74,990	37,660
13	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,720	$37,020 – $72,830	98,390
14	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,240	$36,790 – $61,470	9,250
15	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,110	$36,580 – $63,910	12,320
16	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,890	$36,510 – $62,630	7,800
17	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$44,290	$35,470 – $61,010	18,700
18	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,020	$35,750 – $61,780	43,430
19	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,970	$36,640 – $62,130	16,730
20	BakersNo formal educational credential	$43,120	$36,510 – $54,960	30,020
21	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,670	$35,570 – $71,140	28,090
22	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,670	$35,700 – $58,010	12,560
23	Slaughterers and Meat PackersNo formal educational credential	$39,420	$35,050 – $49,400	6,170
24	Food Processing Workers, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$38,230	$35,290 – $48,450	7,140
25	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$37,940	$34,950 – $49,040	13,240
26	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$37,790	$35,450 – $46,240	21,940
27	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$36,570	$34,950 – $46,040	9,270

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

Metro areas in California

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

By field in California

Without a degree

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

High paying production jobs in California with no degree

More for California

Metro areas in California

By field in California

Without a degree

High paying production jobs in each state with no degree