High paying production jobs in Joplin, MO-KS with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Joplin, MO-KS 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 Joplin, MO-KS run 14.3% below the national average (2024), so a Joplin, MO-KS salary is worth about 1.17× 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 Joplin, MO-KS

OccupationMedian, Joplin, MO-KS · Employed

1Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$67,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,510 – $73,540120
2First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$63,830
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,620 – $92,150770
3Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$62,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,410 – $77,310190
4Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$58,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,290 – $58,170160
5Tool and Die Makers$55,930
Postsecondary nondegree award
$41,960 – $74,14040
6Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic$52,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,400 – $56,82070
7Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,640 – $60,620100
8Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$49,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,930 – $66,380100
9Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders$48,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,350 – $59,04030
10Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$47,960
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,190 – $61,950620
11Helpers--Production Workers$47,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,630 – $56,900350
12Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,040 – $60,96040
13Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,330
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,700 – $56,31030
14Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$47,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,300 – $59,9601,280
15Machinists$46,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,860 – $63,680360
16Printing Press Operators$46,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,970 – $64,880150
17Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,920 – $54,640130
18Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$45,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,170 – $60,930570
19Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$44,490
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,330 – $52,000100
20Food Batchmakers$43,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,610 – $61,560240
21Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$43,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,270 – $82,56080
22Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$42,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,790 – $67,630270
23Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$42,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,770 – $58,860160
24Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$40,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,110 – $64,8501,150
25Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$40,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,670 – $55,050150
26Butchers and Meat Cutters$40,470
No formal educational credential
$28,600 – $49,92050
27Furniture Finishers$38,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,620 – $49,65030
28Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$38,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,480 – $46,770420
29Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$37,870
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,400 – $48,34030
30Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders$37,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,190 – $43,10080
31Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$34,670
No formal educational credential
$28,600 – $37,530100
32Production Workers, All Other$34,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,190 – $54,460300
33Sewing Machine Operators$31,040
No formal educational credential
$28,600 – $41,74040

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

#	Occupation	MedianJoplin, MO-KS	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$67,790	$40,510 – $73,540	120
2	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,830	$46,620 – $92,150	770
3	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,460	$40,410 – $77,310	190
4	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,170	$35,290 – $58,170	160
5	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$55,930	$41,960 – $74,140	40
6	Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,560	$36,400 – $56,820	70
7	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,980	$38,640 – $60,620	100
8	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,750	$34,930 – $66,380	100
9	Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,050	$34,350 – $59,040	30
10	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,960	$38,190 – $61,950	620
11	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,850	$34,630 – $56,900	350
12	Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,790	$33,040 – $60,960	40
13	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,330	$35,700 – $56,310	30
14	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,040	$40,300 – $59,960	1,280
15	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,820	$38,860 – $63,680	360
16	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,660	$34,970 – $64,880	150
17	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,180	$35,920 – $54,640	130
18	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,770	$37,170 – $60,930	570
19	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,490	$34,330 – $52,000	100
20	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,600	$38,610 – $61,560	240
21	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,520	$29,270 – $82,560	80
22	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,430	$34,790 – $67,630	270
23	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,230	$35,770 – $58,860	160
24	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,990	$31,110 – $64,850	1,150
25	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,930	$34,670 – $55,050	150
26	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$40,470	$28,600 – $49,920	50
27	Furniture FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,730	$33,620 – $49,650	30
28	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,150	$33,480 – $46,770	420
29	Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,870	$31,400 – $48,340	30
30	Food Cooking Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,190	$37,190 – $43,100	80
31	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$34,670	$28,600 – $37,530	100
32	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$34,220	$32,190 – $54,460	300
33	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$31,040	$28,600 – $41,740	40

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Joplin, MO-KS. 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 Joplin, MO-KS to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Joplin, MO-KS with no degree

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