High paying production jobs in Grand Junction, CO with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Grand Junction, CO 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 Grand Junction, CO run 4.5% below the national average (2024), so a Grand Junction, CO salary is worth about 1.05× 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 Grand Junction, CO

OccupationMedian, Grand Junction, CO · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$73,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$53,020 – $82,57060
2First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$68,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,710 – $107,930250
3Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$61,130
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,380 – $77,000100
4Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$52,120
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,880 – $95,120110
5Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$51,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,800 – $74,620170
6Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$50,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,510 – $63,07070
7Machinists$49,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,070 – $68,060100
8Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$46,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,610 – $58,46050
9Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,850 – $58,21040
10Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,120 – $51,33030
11Production Workers, All Other$44,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,370 – $56,85030
12Butchers and Meat Cutters$44,140
No formal educational credential
$30,800 – $49,56060
13Printing Press Operators$43,490
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,440 – $55,21050
14Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$41,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,970 – $50,910220
15Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$41,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,520 – $60,13040
16Helpers--Production Workers$41,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,800 – $48,00030
17Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$40,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,970 – $49,02090
18Sewing Machine Operators$40,450
No formal educational credential
$35,360 – $46,38040
19Bakers$37,890
No formal educational credential
$30,800 – $54,890100
20Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$36,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,640 – $47,80040
21Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$34,060
No formal educational credential
$30,800 – $41,180140
22Food Batchmakers$34,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,820 – $37,92080

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

#	Occupation	MedianGrand Junction, CO	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$73,920	$53,020 – $82,570	60
2	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$68,730	$42,710 – $107,930	250
3	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,130	$46,380 – $77,000	100
4	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,120	$41,880 – $95,120	110
5	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,580	$40,800 – $74,620	170
6	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,980	$37,510 – $63,070	70
7	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,180	$39,070 – $68,060	100
8	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,640	$37,610 – $58,460	50
9	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,320	$39,850 – $58,210	40
10	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,840	$38,120 – $51,330	30
11	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,450	$38,370 – $56,850	30
12	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$44,140	$30,800 – $49,560	60
13	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,490	$36,440 – $55,210	50
14	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,790	$35,970 – $50,910	220
15	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,420	$33,520 – $60,130	40
16	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,210	$30,800 – $48,000	30
17	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,940	$39,970 – $49,020	90
18	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$40,450	$35,360 – $46,380	40
19	BakersNo formal educational credential	$37,890	$30,800 – $54,890	100
20	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,390	$34,640 – $47,800	40
21	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$34,060	$30,800 – $41,180	140
22	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$34,040	$31,820 – $37,920	80

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Grand Junction, CO. 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 Grand Junction, CO to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Grand Junction, CO with no degree

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