High paying production jobs in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN with no degree

The best paid production occupations in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN 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 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN run 8.2% below the national average (2024), so a La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN salary is worth about 1.09× 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 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN

OccupationMedian, La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$71,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,730 – $97,190480
2Tool and Die Makers$65,230
Postsecondary nondegree award
$44,350 – $95,08050
3Machinists$62,960
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,080 – $80,440170
4Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$61,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$51,320 – $73,85060
5Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$58,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,780 – $78,320300
6Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$54,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,740 – $68,03080
7Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$54,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,370 – $58,56060
8Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,760 – $74,300170
9Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$48,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,140 – $62,56060
10Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$47,780
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,270 – $60,21070
11Food Batchmakers$46,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,440 – $55,570930
12Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,910 – $63,89090
13Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$46,130
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,280 – $59,340810
14Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$45,890
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,980 – $48,700340
15Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$45,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,600 – $70,970410
16Printing Press Operators$45,480
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,670 – $67,890300
17Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$45,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,220 – $59,58070
18Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$44,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,190 – $58,17080
19Prepress Technicians and Workers$40,550
Postsecondary nondegree award
$35,910 – $51,69070
20Bakers$40,000
No formal educational credential
$28,690 – $49,290240
21Print Binding and Finishing Workers$40,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,020 – $49,72050
22Butchers and Meat Cutters$39,910
No formal educational credential
$31,910 – $49,40090
23Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$38,290
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,290 – $58,830190
24Production Workers, All Other$38,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$20,410 – $56,660130
25Helpers--Production Workers$37,090
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,120 – $46,74040
26Sewing Machine Operators$36,820
No formal educational credential
$29,610 – $46,50060
27Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$35,710
No formal educational credential
$29,750 – $45,540140

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

#	Occupation	MedianLa Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$71,110	$49,730 – $97,190	480
2	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$65,230	$44,350 – $95,080	50
3	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,960	$37,080 – $80,440	170
4	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,660	$51,320 – $73,850	60
5	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,800	$48,780 – $78,320	300
6	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,390	$41,740 – $68,030	80
7	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,280	$37,370 – $58,560	60
8	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,590	$36,760 – $74,300	170
9	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,050	$32,140 – $62,560	60
10	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,780	$38,270 – $60,210	70
11	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,940	$37,440 – $55,570	930
12	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,350	$36,910 – $63,890	90
13	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,130	$37,280 – $59,340	810
14	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,890	$36,980 – $48,700	340
15	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,600	$36,600 – $70,970	410
16	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,480	$37,670 – $67,890	300
17	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,390	$38,220 – $59,580	70
18	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,240	$34,190 – $58,170	80
19	Prepress Technicians and WorkersPostsecondary nondegree award	$40,550	$35,910 – $51,690	70
20	BakersNo formal educational credential	$40,000	$28,690 – $49,290	240
21	Print Binding and Finishing WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,000	$29,020 – $49,720	50
22	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$39,910	$31,910 – $49,400	90
23	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,290	$38,290 – $58,830	190
24	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,190	$20,410 – $56,660	130
25	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,090	$29,120 – $46,740	40
26	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$36,820	$29,610 – $46,500	60
27	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$35,710	$29,750 – $45,540	140

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

High paying production jobs in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN with no degree

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