High paying production jobs in Chico, CA with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Chico, CA 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 Chico, CA run 1.2% above the national average (2024), so a Chico, CA salary is worth about 0.99× 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 Chico, CA

OccupationMedian, Chico, CA · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$80,360
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,440 – $110,850100
2First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$72,480
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,140 – $158,100230
3Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$52,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,920 – $69,10030
4Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$51,960
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,060 – $66,84040
5Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$48,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,080 – $61,06080
6Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$48,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,520 – $67,040160
7Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,110 – $78,54080
8Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$46,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,110 – $54,76030
9Machinists$46,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,270 – $116,48040
10Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$46,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,080 – $55,10050
11Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,320 – $58,08040
12Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$45,130
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,700 – $60,310230
13Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$44,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,990 – $69,57090
14Printing Press Operators$44,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,100 – $75,04060
15Butchers and Meat Cutters$44,110
No formal educational credential
$34,920 – $60,70080
16Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$41,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,650 – $54,750200
17Helpers--Production Workers$40,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,320 – $58,60030
18Bakers$40,000
No formal educational credential
$34,520 – $54,970120
19Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$36,870
No formal educational credential
$34,670 – $39,430100
20Production Workers, All Other$36,630
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,510 – $48,89060

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

#	Occupation	MedianChico, CA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$80,360	$49,440 – $110,850	100
2	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$72,480	$43,140 – $158,100	230
3	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,000	$34,920 – $69,100	30
4	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,960	$37,060 – $66,840	40
5	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,750	$39,080 – $61,060	80
6	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,740	$39,520 – $67,040	160
7	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,680	$41,110 – $78,540	80
8	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,940	$37,110 – $54,760	30
9	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,580	$37,270 – $116,480	40
10	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,210	$37,080 – $55,100	50
11	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,530	$34,320 – $58,080	40
12	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,130	$36,700 – $60,310	230
13	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,680	$35,990 – $69,570	90
14	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,550	$35,100 – $75,040	60
15	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$44,110	$34,920 – $60,700	80
16	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,530	$35,650 – $54,750	200
17	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,540	$34,320 – $58,600	30
18	BakersNo formal educational credential	$40,000	$34,520 – $54,970	120
19	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$36,870	$34,670 – $39,430	100
20	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,630	$34,510 – $48,890	60

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Chico, CA. 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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High paying production jobs in Chico, CA with no degree

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