High paying production jobs in Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Santa Rosa-Petaluma, 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 Rosa-Petaluma, CA run 7.8% above the national average (2024), so a Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA salary is worth about 0.93× 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 Rosa-Petaluma, CA

OccupationMedian, Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$82,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$62,480 – $102,440190
2First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$75,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,740 – $122,870660
3Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators$64,470
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,140 – $129,36070
4Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$61,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,630 – $103,200970
5Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$59,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,100 – $77,800110
6Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$58,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,480 – $82,100140
7Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$56,720
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,260 – $85,900260
8Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$56,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,100 – $78,920100
9Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic$56,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,480 – $69,80080
10Machinists$56,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,320 – $80,390230
11Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$54,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,290 – $83,44070
12Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$51,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,170 – $77,570480
13Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$50,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,500 – $57,46070
14Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$50,250
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,520 – $60,10080
15Helpers--Production Workers$49,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,680 – $64,940230
16Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$49,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,980 – $69,570130
17Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$49,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,190 – $67,020480
18Printing Press Operators$48,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,780 – $75,180130
19Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$48,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,600 – $64,440790
20Butchers and Meat Cutters$47,600
No formal educational credential
$38,310 – $63,090390
21Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$47,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,240 – $58,000100
22Food Batchmakers$45,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,250 – $59,680250
23Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$44,970
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,740 – $61,200770
24Medical Appliance Technicians$44,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,060 – $57,68080
25Bakers$44,650
No formal educational credential
$38,240 – $54,840560
26Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$43,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,470 – $58,090250
27Production Workers, All Other$41,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,590 – $54,280360
28Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$41,080
No formal educational credential
$37,500 – $46,670260
29Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$38,750
No formal educational credential
$38,100 – $48,850140
30Sewing Machine Operators$38,610
No formal educational credential
$37,120 – $47,890160

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

#	Occupation	MedianSanta Rosa-Petaluma, CA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$82,200	$62,480 – $102,440	190
2	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$75,790	$48,740 – $122,870	660
3	Stationary Engineers and Boiler OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$64,470	$49,140 – $129,360	70
4	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,550	$45,630 – $103,200	970
5	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,930	$44,100 – $77,800	110
6	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,240	$38,480 – $82,100	140
7	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,720	$46,260 – $85,900	260
8	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,460	$41,100 – $78,920	100
9	Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,320	$43,480 – $69,800	80
10	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,200	$39,320 – $80,390	230
11	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,560	$38,290 – $83,440	70
12	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,520	$39,170 – $77,570	480
13	Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,520	$50,500 – $57,460	70
14	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,250	$39,520 – $60,100	80
15	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,920	$38,680 – $64,940	230
16	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,610	$42,980 – $69,570	130
17	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,540	$39,190 – $67,020	480
18	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,570	$37,780 – $75,180	130
19	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,260	$37,600 – $64,440	790
20	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$47,600	$38,310 – $63,090	390
21	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,390	$38,240 – $58,000	100
22	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,590	$38,250 – $59,680	250
23	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,970	$37,740 – $61,200	770
24	Medical Appliance TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,850	$38,060 – $57,680	80
25	BakersNo formal educational credential	$44,650	$38,240 – $54,840	560
26	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,370	$38,470 – $58,090	250
27	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,210	$36,590 – $54,280	360
28	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$41,080	$37,500 – $46,670	260
29	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$38,750	$38,100 – $48,850	140
30	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$38,610	$37,120 – $47,890	160

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

High paying production jobs in Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA with no degree

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