High paying production jobs in Illinois with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Illinois 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 Illinois run 0.0% below the national average (2024), so a Illinois salary is worth about 1.00× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in Illinois.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find production jobs in Illinois

OccupationMedian, Illinois · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$75,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,280 – $103,41029,640
2Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$67,810
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,240 – $103,6903,500
3Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$61,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,210 – $91,6005,580
4Tool and Die Makers$61,170
Postsecondary nondegree award
$39,490 – $82,5205,220
5Machinists$58,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,390 – $78,29016,520
6Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$56,400
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,830 – $62,8105,360
7Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$53,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,460 – $73,72010,240
8Dental Laboratory Technicians$51,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,120 – $67,1502,030
9Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$51,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,890 – $76,73016,260
10Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$50,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,360 – $71,3302,350
11Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,960 – $73,2708,060
12Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,800 – $70,4702,750
13Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$48,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,990 – $68,9508,170
14Food Batchmakers$48,130
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,680 – $61,75012,320
15Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,930 – $75,9206,390
16Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$47,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,220 – $75,03031,700
17Printing Press Operators$46,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,450 – $66,2509,550
18Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,530 – $63,4004,100
19Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,500
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,090 – $61,95010,680
20Food Processing Workers, All Other$45,340
No formal educational credential
$36,710 – $50,4402,760
21Slaughterers and Meat Packers$44,950
No formal educational credential
$33,970 – $49,9103,360
22Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$44,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,950 – $58,9306,090
23Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$44,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,410 – $61,77076,460
24Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$43,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,880 – $60,05029,400
25Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders$42,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,480 – $51,3202,460
26Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$42,470
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,940 – $61,64013,550
27Production Workers, All Other$41,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,680 – $65,5409,240
28Helpers--Production Workers$41,480
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,550 – $59,5905,210
29Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$40,690
No formal educational credential
$35,750 – $47,3904,040
30Butchers and Meat Cutters$39,240
No formal educational credential
$33,630 – $52,2207,710
31Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$38,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,540 – $51,2602,380
32Bakers$37,030
No formal educational credential
$31,200 – $47,29012,420
33Sewing Machine Operators$36,220
No formal educational credential
$33,060 – $46,7204,060
34Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$35,220
No formal educational credential
$31,200 – $40,4608,550

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

#	Occupation	MedianIllinois	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$75,200	$47,280 – $103,410	29,640
2	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$67,810	$42,240 – $103,690	3,500
3	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,940	$39,210 – $91,600	5,580
4	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$61,170	$39,490 – $82,520	5,220
5	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,520	$38,390 – $78,290	16,520
6	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,400	$39,830 – $62,810	5,360
7	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,560	$39,460 – $73,720	10,240
8	Dental Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,380	$40,120 – $67,150	2,030
9	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,320	$38,890 – $76,730	16,260
10	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,160	$36,360 – $71,330	2,350
11	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,990	$36,960 – $73,270	8,060
12	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,520	$33,800 – $70,470	2,750
13	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,420	$38,990 – $68,950	8,170
14	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,130	$34,680 – $61,750	12,320
15	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,000	$36,930 – $75,920	6,390
16	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,920	$36,220 – $75,030	31,700
17	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,260	$31,450 – $66,250	9,550
18	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,180	$37,530 – $63,400	4,100
19	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,500	$36,090 – $61,950	10,680
20	Food Processing Workers, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$45,340	$36,710 – $50,440	2,760
21	Slaughterers and Meat PackersNo formal educational credential	$44,950	$33,970 – $49,910	3,360
22	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,350	$34,950 – $58,930	6,090
23	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,140	$33,410 – $61,770	76,460
24	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,150	$34,880 – $60,050	29,400
25	Food Cooking Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,670	$32,480 – $51,320	2,460
26	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,470	$31,940 – $61,640	13,550
27	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,730	$31,680 – $65,540	9,240
28	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,480	$36,550 – $59,590	5,210
29	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$40,690	$35,750 – $47,390	4,040
30	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$39,240	$33,630 – $52,220	7,710
31	Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,620	$34,540 – $51,260	2,380
32	BakersNo formal educational credential	$37,030	$31,200 – $47,290	12,420
33	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$36,220	$33,060 – $46,720	4,060
34	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$35,220	$31,200 – $40,460	8,550

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Illinois. 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.

More for Illinois

Metro areas in Illinois

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in Illinois

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Illinois to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Illinois with no degree

More for Illinois

Metro areas in Illinois

By field in Illinois

Without a degree

High paying production jobs in each state with no degree