High paying production jobs in Columbia, SC with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Columbia, SC 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 Columbia, SC run 6.3% below the national average (2024), so a Columbia, SC 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 Columbia, SC

OccupationMedian, Columbia, SC · Employed

1Power Plant Operators$79,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$64,450 – $98,470150
2First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$76,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,730 – $105,5901,860
3Machinists$59,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,350 – $74,930240
4Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$57,870
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,470 – $77,610410
5Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$56,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,880 – $76,740310
6Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$55,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,320 – $62,150230
7Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$55,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,670 – $72,850490
8Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$51,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,350 – $60,830240
9Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,580 – $63,130450
10Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,560 – $67,400180
11Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$49,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,000 – $62,900830
12Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$48,310
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,250 – $71,0401,680
13Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$46,910
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,910 – $56,730130
14Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers, All Other$46,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,340 – $55,220130
15Slaughterers and Meat Packers$46,170
No formal educational credential
$36,970 – $46,630150
16Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,780
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,540 – $58,960220
17Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators$44,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,040 – $58,410170
18Sewing Machine Operators$44,810
No formal educational credential
$22,060 – $44,820390
19Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$44,810
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,300 – $60,660250
20Printing Press Operators$44,250
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,260 – $59,250340
21Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$43,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,280 – $48,000620
22Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$42,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,950 – $55,3203,150
23Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$41,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,610 – $56,3801,180
24Production Workers, All Other$39,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,680 – $48,700240
25Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$39,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,790 – $51,030460
26Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$38,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,910 – $46,070190
27Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$38,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,770 – $68,600270
28Butchers and Meat Cutters$37,350
No formal educational credential
$28,940 – $50,250280
29Helpers--Production Workers$37,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$26,840 – $46,670310
30Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$36,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $53,480140
31Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$35,660
No formal educational credential
$34,410 – $40,500870
32Bakers$33,800
No formal educational credential
$23,820 – $42,920440
33Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$29,830
No formal educational credential
$22,500 – $37,270440

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

#	Occupation	MedianColumbia, SC	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Power Plant OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$79,600	$64,450 – $98,470	150
2	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$76,420	$49,730 – $105,590	1,860
3	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,570	$36,350 – $74,930	240
4	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,870	$39,470 – $77,610	410
5	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,430	$41,880 – $76,740	310
6	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,670	$36,320 – $62,150	230
7	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,070	$39,670 – $72,850	490
8	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,530	$38,350 – $60,830	240
9	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,010	$38,580 – $63,130	450
10	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,430	$32,560 – $67,400	180
11	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,730	$37,000 – $62,900	830
12	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,310	$35,250 – $71,040	1,680
13	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,910	$35,910 – $56,730	130
14	Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,370	$33,340 – $55,220	130
15	Slaughterers and Meat PackersNo formal educational credential	$46,170	$36,970 – $46,630	150
16	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,780	$38,540 – $58,960	220
17	Fiberglass Laminators and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,950	$37,040 – $58,410	170
18	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$44,810	$22,060 – $44,820	390
19	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,810	$34,300 – $60,660	250
20	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,250	$31,260 – $59,250	340
21	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,790	$33,280 – $48,000	620
22	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,230	$29,950 – $55,320	3,150
23	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,340	$36,610 – $56,380	1,180
24	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,600	$31,680 – $48,700	240
25	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,560	$34,790 – $51,030	460
26	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,530	$29,910 – $46,070	190
27	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,040	$31,770 – $68,600	270
28	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$37,350	$28,940 – $50,250	280
29	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,320	$26,840 – $46,670	310
30	Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,320	$31,200 – $53,480	140
31	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$35,660	$34,410 – $40,500	870
32	BakersNo formal educational credential	$33,800	$23,820 – $42,920	440
33	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$29,830	$22,500 – $37,270	440

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

High paying production jobs in Columbia, SC with no degree

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