High paying production jobs in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 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 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA run 8.8% above the national average (2024), so a Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA salary is worth about 0.92× 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 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

OccupationMedian, Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$85,960
High school diploma or equivalent
$57,660 – $127,550250
2First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$69,250
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,780 – $127,880530
3Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$62,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,450 – $77,250500
4Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$61,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,760 – $73,63080
5Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$60,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,700 – $80,040200
6Machinists$58,690
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,640 – $89,890130
7Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$56,890
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,690 – $88,200570
8Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$52,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,730 – $80,090170
9Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,290 – $95,110310
10Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,380 – $76,38080
11Dental Laboratory Technicians$49,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,750 – $72,29070
12Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$48,130
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,350 – $74,09080
13Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$46,250
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,210 – $66,410880
14Production Workers, All Other$45,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,100 – $99,500320
15Printing Press Operators$45,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,230 – $59,05070
16Butchers and Meat Cutters$44,360
No formal educational credential
$35,660 – $60,800220
17Bakers$43,630
No formal educational credential
$36,520 – $51,310400
18Helpers--Production Workers$42,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,300 – $53,900100
19Sewing Machine Operators$39,420
No formal educational credential
$36,170 – $47,30080
20Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$38,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,000 – $53,090430
21Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$37,730
No formal educational credential
$36,100 – $45,990340
22Food Batchmakers$37,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,400 – $45,660100

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

#	Occupation	MedianSanta Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$85,960	$57,660 – $127,550	250
2	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$69,250	$46,780 – $127,880	530
3	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,200	$40,450 – $77,250	500
4	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,770	$44,760 – $73,630	80
5	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,100	$40,700 – $80,040	200
6	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,690	$40,640 – $89,890	130
7	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,890	$38,690 – $88,200	570
8	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,800	$40,730 – $80,090	170
9	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,900	$40,290 – $95,110	310
10	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,820	$37,380 – $76,380	80
11	Dental Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,660	$40,750 – $72,290	70
12	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,130	$39,350 – $74,090	80
13	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,250	$35,210 – $66,410	880
14	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,670	$35,100 – $99,500	320
15	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,530	$36,230 – $59,050	70
16	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$44,360	$35,660 – $60,800	220
17	BakersNo formal educational credential	$43,630	$36,520 – $51,310	400
18	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,320	$35,300 – $53,900	100
19	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$39,420	$36,170 – $47,300	80
20	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,040	$36,000 – $53,090	430
21	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$37,730	$36,100 – $45,990	340
22	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,580	$36,400 – $45,660	100

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA. 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 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA with no degree

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