High paying production jobs in Richmond, VA with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Richmond, VA 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 Richmond, VA run 2.1% below the national average (2024), so a Richmond, VA salary is worth about 1.02× 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 Richmond, VA

OccupationMedian, Richmond, VA · Employed

1Chemical Plant and System Operators$77,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,330 – $96,520340
2First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$73,630
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,610 – $116,9202,210
3Machinists$62,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,890 – $95,800650
4Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$61,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,420 – $81,020760
5Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$59,970
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,230 – $78,340380
6Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$57,710
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,950 – $83,9201,260
7Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$55,960
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,810 – $80,350230
8Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$50,700
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,750 – $74,040280
9Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,540 – $80,940930
10Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,270
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,950 – $59,340390
11Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,900 – $69,800270
12Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$48,710
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,530 – $72,9101,330
13Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,310
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,300 – $78,020440
14Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,220 – $55,520230
15Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$48,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,720 – $61,190530
16Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$47,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,450 – $60,560290
17Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,000 – $64,180220
18Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$44,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,480 – $71,8701,340
19Printing Press Operators$44,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,270 – $62,060650
20Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$43,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,990 – $69,900290
21Helpers--Production Workers$40,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,310 – $48,480530
22Butchers and Meat Cutters$40,120
No formal educational credential
$34,300 – $47,880550
23Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$39,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,690 – $58,9102,970
24Production Workers, All Other$38,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,330 – $66,660730
25Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$37,630
No formal educational credential
$29,620 – $44,220210
26Food Batchmakers$37,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,330 – $52,310330
27Sewing Machine Operators$35,310
No formal educational credential
$28,080 – $48,470210
28Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$33,220
No formal educational credential
$26,670 – $36,3601,010
29Bakers$31,500
No formal educational credential
$28,570 – $44,1401,450

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

#	Occupation	MedianRichmond, VA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Chemical Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$77,930	$43,330 – $96,520	340
2	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$73,630	$44,610 – $116,920	2,210
3	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,650	$46,890 – $95,800	650
4	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,840	$44,420 – $81,020	760
5	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,970	$45,230 – $78,340	380
6	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,710	$42,950 – $83,920	1,260
7	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,960	$31,810 – $80,350	230
8	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,700	$37,750 – $74,040	280
9	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,980	$37,540 – $80,940	930
10	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,270	$29,950 – $59,340	390
11	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,930	$39,900 – $69,800	270
12	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,710	$34,530 – $72,910	1,330
13	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,310	$35,300 – $78,020	440
14	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,260	$39,220 – $55,520	230
15	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,170	$37,720 – $61,190	530
16	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,230	$34,450 – $60,560	290
17	Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,670	$40,000 – $64,180	220
18	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,180	$31,480 – $71,870	1,340
19	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,110	$30,270 – $62,060	650
20	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,800	$36,990 – $69,900	290
21	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,450	$31,310 – $48,480	530
22	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$40,120	$34,300 – $47,880	550
23	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,060	$28,690 – $58,910	2,970
24	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,220	$31,330 – $66,660	730
25	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$37,630	$29,620 – $44,220	210
26	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,190	$30,330 – $52,310	330
27	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$35,310	$28,080 – $48,470	210
28	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$33,220	$26,670 – $36,360	1,010
29	BakersNo formal educational credential	$31,500	$28,570 – $44,140	1,450

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

High paying production jobs in Richmond, VA with no degree

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