High paying production jobs in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI run 4.8% above the national average (2024), so a Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI salary is worth about 0.95× 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

OccupationMedian, Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$79,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$58,200 – $105,9908,300
2Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers$78,010
Postsecondary nondegree award
$55,720 – $91,850850
3Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$77,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$57,160 – $87,5101,010
4Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators$76,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$63,450 – $99,030750
5Tool and Die Makers$74,840
Postsecondary nondegree award
$49,520 – $93,510930
6Machinists$62,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,500 – $80,4309,420
7Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$61,880
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,350 – $76,6504,600
8Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$61,310
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,980 – $81,240930
9Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$58,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,380 – $77,3306,300
10Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$57,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,160 – $77,6903,010
11Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$57,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,070 – $66,0201,280
12Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$57,700
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,220 – $72,900790
13Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$54,630
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,680 – $78,280810
14Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$51,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,100 – $86,2501,000
15Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,700
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,080 – $78,0901,790
16Printing Press Operators$50,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,650 – $75,2403,390
17Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$49,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,840 – $70,7501,370
18Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,050 – $61,6002,080
19Prepress Technicians and Workers$49,130
Postsecondary nondegree award
$44,660 – $65,5702,500
20Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,060 – $79,3101,880
21Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,710
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,670 – $64,3004,490
22Print Binding and Finishing Workers$48,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,880 – $62,0401,290
23Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$47,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,070 – $60,8004,720
24Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$47,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,850 – $60,65029,570
25Production Workers, All Other$47,120
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,320 – $60,7102,060
26Butchers and Meat Cutters$45,420
No formal educational credential
$36,570 – $62,460870
27Food Batchmakers$45,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,150 – $60,2504,490
28Helpers--Production Workers$44,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,510 – $58,1101,800
29Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$44,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,610 – $58,0603,700
30Sewing Machine Operators$42,300
No formal educational credential
$34,840 – $52,2501,130
31Bakers$42,270
No formal educational credential
$35,380 – $57,1501,900
32Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$38,600
No formal educational credential
$33,510 – $47,1902,130

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

#	Occupation	MedianMinneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$79,820	$58,200 – $105,990	8,300
2	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool ProgrammersPostsecondary nondegree award	$78,010	$55,720 – $91,850	850
3	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$77,170	$57,160 – $87,510	1,010
4	Stationary Engineers and Boiler OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$76,560	$63,450 – $99,030	750
5	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$74,840	$49,520 – $93,510	930
6	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,070	$47,500 – $80,430	9,420
7	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,880	$48,350 – $76,650	4,600
8	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,310	$44,980 – $81,240	930
9	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,900	$45,380 – $77,330	6,300
10	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,850	$46,160 – $77,690	3,010
11	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,840	$38,070 – $66,020	1,280
12	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,700	$40,220 – $72,900	790
13	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,630	$43,680 – $78,280	810
14	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,990	$44,100 – $86,250	1,000
15	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,700	$44,080 – $78,090	1,790
16	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,170	$36,650 – $75,240	3,390
17	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,650	$46,840 – $70,750	1,370
18	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,260	$40,050 – $61,600	2,080
19	Prepress Technicians and WorkersPostsecondary nondegree award	$49,130	$44,660 – $65,570	2,500
20	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,020	$37,060 – $79,310	1,880
21	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,710	$34,670 – $64,300	4,490
22	Print Binding and Finishing WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,610	$39,880 – $62,040	1,290
23	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,750	$39,070 – $60,800	4,720
24	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,200	$37,850 – $60,650	29,570
25	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,120	$40,320 – $60,710	2,060
26	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$45,420	$36,570 – $62,460	870
27	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,020	$36,150 – $60,250	4,490
28	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,770	$36,510 – $58,110	1,800
29	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,740	$36,610 – $58,060	3,700
30	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$42,300	$34,840 – $52,250	1,130
31	BakersNo formal educational credential	$42,270	$35,380 – $57,150	1,900
32	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$38,600	$33,510 – $47,190	2,130

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI. 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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Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI with no degree

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