High paying production jobs in Duluth, MN-WI with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Duluth, MN-WI 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 Duluth, MN-WI run 11.2% below the national average (2024), so a Duluth, MN-WI salary is worth about 1.13× 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 Duluth, MN-WI

OccupationMedian, Duluth, MN-WI · Employed

1Power Plant Operators$94,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$74,190 – $116,870220
2Plant and System Operators, All Other$88,290
High school diploma or equivalent
$88,150 – $95,66040
3Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$84,310
High school diploma or equivalent
$61,260 – $86,40060
4First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$76,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$54,930 – $115,960510
5Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators$75,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$59,760 – $91,67080
6Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$73,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$58,160 – $74,110120
7Machinists$69,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,550 – $78,220330
8Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$65,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,750 – $82,780180
9Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$61,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,590 – $73,85080
10Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers$61,450
Postsecondary nondegree award
$35,700 – $75,65040
11Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$59,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,990 – $80,390260
12Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$57,410
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,390 – $81,190370
13Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$55,830
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,000 – $70,160130
14Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$52,300
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,930 – $64,38080
15Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$49,030
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,110 – $60,49070
16Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,680 – $63,60040
17Helpers--Production Workers$47,760
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,030 – $51,55070
18Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$47,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,320 – $74,69050
19Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,410
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,810 – $63,490110
20Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$46,510
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,690 – $60,2601,380
21Printing Press Operators$45,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,900 – $71,01080
22Butchers and Meat Cutters$44,720
No formal educational credential
$34,080 – $55,94070
23Production Workers, All Other$41,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$27,990 – $90,63060
24Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$40,120
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,960 – $67,22040
25Sewing Machine Operators$36,780
No formal educational credential
$31,200 – $47,640160
26Bakers$36,710
No formal educational credential
$29,050 – $47,840110
27Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$35,940
No formal educational credential
$29,970 – $43,540180

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

#	Occupation	MedianDuluth, MN-WI	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Power Plant OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$94,390	$74,190 – $116,870	220
2	Plant and System Operators, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$88,290	$88,150 – $95,660	40
3	Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$84,310	$61,260 – $86,400	60
4	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$76,340	$54,930 – $115,960	510
5	Stationary Engineers and Boiler OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$75,260	$59,760 – $91,670	80
6	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$73,210	$58,160 – $74,110	120
7	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$69,440	$47,550 – $78,220	330
8	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$65,640	$47,750 – $82,780	180
9	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,530	$40,590 – $73,850	80
10	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool ProgrammersPostsecondary nondegree award	$61,450	$35,700 – $75,650	40
11	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,920	$46,990 – $80,390	260
12	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,410	$46,390 – $81,190	370
13	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,830	$40,000 – $70,160	130
14	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,300	$41,930 – $64,380	80
15	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,030	$39,110 – $60,490	70
16	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,620	$31,680 – $63,600	40
17	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,760	$38,030 – $51,550	70
18	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,610	$33,320 – $74,690	50
19	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,410	$44,810 – $63,490	110
20	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,510	$38,690 – $60,260	1,380
21	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,040	$35,900 – $71,010	80
22	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$44,720	$34,080 – $55,940	70
23	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,770	$27,990 – $90,630	60
24	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,120	$31,960 – $67,220	40
25	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$36,780	$31,200 – $47,640	160
26	BakersNo formal educational credential	$36,710	$29,050 – $47,840	110
27	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$35,940	$29,970 – $43,540	180

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Duluth, MN-WI. 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 Duluth, MN-WI to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Duluth, MN-WI with no degree

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