High paying production jobs in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN 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 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN run 4.3% below the national average (2024), so a Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN salary is worth about 1.04× 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 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN

OccupationMedian, Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$76,080
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,970 – $103,9205,670
2Tool and Die Makers$62,040
Postsecondary nondegree award
$41,300 – $84,140570
3Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$61,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,160 – $71,6002,330
4Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$58,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,370 – $77,850690
5Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$57,890
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,230 – $58,450670
6Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$55,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,670 – $69,140480
7Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$51,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,690 – $76,1302,790
8Machinists$50,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,440 – $72,1403,540
9Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,120
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,680 – $58,290850
10Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$47,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,440 – $73,6106,460
11Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,560 – $64,530790
12Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,330 – $63,1401,360
13Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$47,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,260 – $62,990570
14Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,030
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,860 – $59,480380
15Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,700 – $59,6201,550
16Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,510
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,190 – $60,4101,040
17Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$46,250
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,520 – $62,3501,670
18Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$45,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,480 – $59,5802,120
19Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$45,290
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,960 – $59,0703,470
20Printing Press Operators$44,810
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,080 – $61,3301,770
21Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$44,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,060 – $61,5301,060
22Butchers and Meat Cutters$42,950
No formal educational credential
$32,210 – $55,550510
23Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$41,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,140 – $59,55010,670
24Food Batchmakers$40,860
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,180 – $53,6201,550
25Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$39,880
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,660 – $57,2001,480
26Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$38,970
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,910 – $51,510550
27Helpers--Production Workers$38,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,270 – $52,160610
28Sewing Machine Operators$36,910
No formal educational credential
$30,410 – $47,390710
29Bakers$36,870
No formal educational credential
$22,880 – $47,8401,140
30Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$31,040
No formal educational credential
$27,880 – $36,7201,150

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

#	Occupation	MedianIndianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$76,080	$47,970 – $103,920	5,670
2	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$62,040	$41,300 – $84,140	570
3	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,020	$44,160 – $71,600	2,330
4	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,530	$43,370 – $77,850	690
5	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,890	$46,230 – $58,450	670
6	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,750	$42,670 – $69,140	480
7	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,070	$37,690 – $76,130	2,790
8	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,610	$42,440 – $72,140	3,540
9	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,120	$36,680 – $58,290	850
10	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,980	$36,440 – $73,610	6,460
11	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,680	$40,560 – $64,530	790
12	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,230	$36,330 – $63,140	1,360
13	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,140	$36,260 – $62,990	570
14	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,030	$37,860 – $59,480	380
15	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,740	$37,700 – $59,620	1,550
16	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,510	$36,190 – $60,410	1,040
17	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,250	$39,520 – $62,350	1,670
18	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,340	$37,480 – $59,580	2,120
19	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,290	$33,960 – $59,070	3,470
20	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,810	$36,080 – $61,330	1,770
21	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,580	$36,060 – $61,530	1,060
22	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$42,950	$32,210 – $55,550	510
23	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,390	$34,140 – $59,550	10,670
24	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,860	$30,180 – $53,620	1,550
25	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,880	$32,660 – $57,200	1,480
26	Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,970	$36,910 – $51,510	550
27	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,540	$31,270 – $52,160	610
28	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$36,910	$30,410 – $47,390	710
29	BakersNo formal educational credential	$36,870	$22,880 – $47,840	1,140
30	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$31,040	$27,880 – $36,720	1,150

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN. 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 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN with no degree

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