High paying production jobs in Cedar Rapids, IA with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Cedar Rapids, IA 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 Cedar Rapids, IA run 11.0% below the national average (2024), so a Cedar Rapids, IA salary is worth about 1.12× 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 Cedar Rapids, IA

OccupationMedian, Cedar Rapids, IA · Employed

1Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$83,470
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,920 – $100,430260
2Food Batchmakers$77,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,040 – $81,060480
3First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$72,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$51,720 – $109,890780
4Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$67,700
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,940 – $81,1601,080
5Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$64,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$58,990 – $64,780340
6Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$64,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,200 – $75,720110
7Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$62,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,790 – $77,320130
8Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$57,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,040 – $70,410190
9Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$56,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,550 – $66,190560
10Machinists$56,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,490 – $74,970180
11Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$53,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,300 – $53,940530
12Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,060 – $62,780140
13Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$50,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,950 – $65,83070
14Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,950 – $60,84060
15Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$49,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,970 – $77,740650
16Dental Laboratory Technicians$47,030
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,880 – $78,930140
17Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,830 – $63,920120
18Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,240 – $58,150100
19Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$44,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,640 – $61,3601,680
20Printing Press Operators$42,970
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,000 – $58,180260
21Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$42,760
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,880 – $60,2101,290
22Helpers--Production Workers$41,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,810 – $66,62050
23Food Processing Workers, All Other$41,070
No formal educational credential
$38,740 – $81,54070
24Production Workers, All Other$39,250
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,570 – $63,460350
25Bakers$37,390
No formal educational credential
$24,490 – $50,420130
26Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$37,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,520 – $62,290290
27Butchers and Meat Cutters$35,150
No formal educational credential
$28,160 – $46,170200
28Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$34,220
No formal educational credential
$29,540 – $39,640130

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

#	Occupation	MedianCedar Rapids, IA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$83,470	$38,920 – $100,430	260
2	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$77,920	$36,040 – $81,060	480
3	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$72,640	$51,720 – $109,890	780
4	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$67,700	$37,940 – $81,160	1,080
5	Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$64,670	$58,990 – $64,780	340
6	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$64,520	$43,200 – $75,720	110
7	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,800	$45,790 – $77,320	130
8	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,170	$39,040 – $70,410	190
9	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,750	$45,550 – $66,190	560
10	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,000	$42,490 – $74,970	180
11	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,940	$45,300 – $53,940	530
12	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,230	$39,060 – $62,780	140
13	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,100	$39,950 – $65,830	70
14	Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,920	$42,950 – $60,840	60
15	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,420	$38,970 – $77,740	650
16	Dental Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,030	$36,880 – $78,930	140
17	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,750	$35,830 – $63,920	120
18	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,170	$37,240 – $58,150	100
19	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,000	$39,640 – $61,360	1,680
20	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,970	$31,000 – $58,180	260
21	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,760	$32,880 – $60,210	1,290
22	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,740	$29,810 – $66,620	50
23	Food Processing Workers, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$41,070	$38,740 – $81,540	70
24	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,250	$31,570 – $63,460	350
25	BakersNo formal educational credential	$37,390	$24,490 – $50,420	130
26	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,230	$36,520 – $62,290	290
27	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$35,150	$28,160 – $46,170	200
28	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$34,220	$29,540 – $39,640	130

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Cedar Rapids, IA. 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 Cedar Rapids, IA to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Cedar Rapids, IA with no degree

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