High paying production jobs in Peoria, IL with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Peoria, IL 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 Peoria, IL run 8.8% below the national average (2024), so a Peoria, IL salary is worth about 1.10× 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 Peoria, IL

OccupationMedian, Peoria, IL · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$74,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,470 – $97,640980
2Production Workers, All Other$63,780
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,930 – $106,980740
3Tool and Die Makers$62,950
Postsecondary nondegree award
$42,070 – $89,380130
4Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$62,500
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,700 – $81,460170
5Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$60,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,080 – $85,360120
6Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$59,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$51,420 – $59,50080
7Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$58,960
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,480 – $79,9301,230
8Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$57,330
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,880 – $57,330190
9Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$56,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$56,840 – $58,19070
10Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$56,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,000 – $81,630950
11Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$56,720
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,670 – $56,720330
12Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,420 – $65,060200
13Machinists$51,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,430 – $77,330500
14Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$50,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,690 – $64,590270
15Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,160 – $56,930240
16Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$49,410
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,000 – $77,9402,300
17Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,300
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,630 – $58,450260
18Dental Laboratory Technicians$48,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,430 – $66,87090
19Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$48,250
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,050 – $78,540230
20Food Batchmakers$46,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,520 – $50,630260
21Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,210 – $62,950370
22Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,780 – $57,730210
23Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians$45,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,560 – $55,23090
24Printing Press Operators$44,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,320 – $66,060230
25Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$39,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $58,190180
26Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$36,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,130 – $54,510630
27Butchers and Meat Cutters$35,490
No formal educational credential
$31,200 – $48,810130
28Bakers$34,470
No formal educational credential
$31,200 – $52,040270
29Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$34,420
No formal educational credential
$31,200 – $37,650180
30Sewing Machine Operators$33,060
No formal educational credential
$31,500 – $42,66080

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

#	Occupation	MedianPeoria, IL	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$74,200	$48,470 – $97,640	980
2	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,780	$32,930 – $106,980	740
3	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$62,950	$42,070 – $89,380	130
4	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,500	$48,700 – $81,460	170
5	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,380	$38,080 – $85,360	120
6	Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,160	$51,420 – $59,500	80
7	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,960	$46,480 – $79,930	1,230
8	Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,330	$50,880 – $57,330	190
9	Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,840	$56,840 – $58,190	70
10	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,770	$39,000 – $81,630	950
11	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,720	$36,670 – $56,720	330
12	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,900	$44,420 – $65,060	200
13	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,680	$38,430 – $77,330	500
14	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,420	$38,690 – $64,590	270
15	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,990	$44,160 – $56,930	240
16	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,410	$35,000 – $77,940	2,300
17	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,300	$38,630 – $58,450	260
18	Dental Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,730	$38,430 – $66,870	90
19	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,250	$35,050 – $78,540	230
20	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,770	$37,520 – $50,630	260
21	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,540	$38,210 – $62,950	370
22	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,280	$36,780 – $57,730	210
23	Ophthalmic Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,620	$34,560 – $55,230	90
24	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,750	$31,320 – $66,060	230
25	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,840	$31,200 – $58,190	180
26	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,850	$32,130 – $54,510	630
27	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$35,490	$31,200 – $48,810	130
28	BakersNo formal educational credential	$34,470	$31,200 – $52,040	270
29	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$34,420	$31,200 – $37,650	180
30	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$33,060	$31,500 – $42,660	80

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Peoria, IL. 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 Peoria, IL to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Peoria, IL with no degree

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