High paying production jobs in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA run 11.1% above the national average (2024), so a Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA salary is worth about 0.90× 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

OccupationMedian, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA · Employed

1Tool and Die Makers$116,850
Postsecondary nondegree award
$77,730 – $116,8501,090
2Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers$110,470
High school diploma or equivalent
$63,110 – $110,4704,010
3Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$109,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$67,870 – $116,6701,960
4Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$99,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$62,540 – $119,000830
5First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$80,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$58,640 – $124,1306,760
6Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$76,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,020 – $115,2408,190
7Machinists$74,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,360 – $110,7904,250
8Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$67,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,370 – $82,950720
9Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$66,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,270 – $89,6303,230
10Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$63,030
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,790 – $115,3002,640
11Butchers and Meat Cutters$60,600
No formal educational credential
$40,560 – $67,4301,300
12Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators$59,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,850 – $104,470770
13Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$58,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,830 – $106,3301,100
14Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$58,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,680 – $79,620680
15Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$58,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,910 – $107,0104,080
16Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic$56,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,580 – $70,900660
17Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$54,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,440 – $73,3601,000
18Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$53,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,380 – $72,6901,050
19Printing Press Operators$52,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,520 – $75,5901,410
20Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$50,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,390 – $65,8109,730
21Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,470
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,030 – $60,010730
22Production Workers, All Other$48,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,800 – $79,5801,140
23Bakers$48,180
No formal educational credential
$38,380 – $62,1203,560
24Helpers--Production Workers$46,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,250 – $61,0402,080
25Sewing Machine Operators$44,350
No formal educational credential
$38,530 – $50,3001,060
26Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$43,610
No formal educational credential
$38,270 – $49,3502,140
27Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$43,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,420 – $60,7202,850
28Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$43,190
No formal educational credential
$37,400 – $57,5601,370
29Food Batchmakers$42,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,400 – $57,5703,010

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

#	Occupation	MedianSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$116,850	$77,730 – $116,850	1,090
2	Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems AssemblersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$110,470	$63,110 – $110,470	4,010
3	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$109,600	$67,870 – $116,670	1,960
4	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$99,010	$62,540 – $119,000	830
5	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$80,460	$58,640 – $124,130	6,760
6	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$76,800	$46,020 – $115,240	8,190
7	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$74,560	$49,360 – $110,790	4,250
8	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$67,230	$48,370 – $82,950	720
9	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$66,240	$50,270 – $89,630	3,230
10	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,030	$44,790 – $115,300	2,640
11	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$60,600	$40,560 – $67,430	1,300
12	Fiberglass Laminators and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,110	$47,850 – $104,470	770
13	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,990	$43,830 – $106,330	1,100
14	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,430	$43,680 – $79,620	680
15	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,370	$46,910 – $107,010	4,080
16	Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,770	$48,580 – $70,900	660
17	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,920	$44,440 – $73,360	1,000
18	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,930	$40,380 – $72,690	1,050
19	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,040	$44,520 – $75,590	1,410
20	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,150	$40,390 – $65,810	9,730
21	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,470	$40,030 – $60,010	730
22	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,260	$45,800 – $79,580	1,140
23	BakersNo formal educational credential	$48,180	$38,380 – $62,120	3,560
24	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,980	$39,250 – $61,040	2,080
25	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$44,350	$38,530 – $50,300	1,060
26	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$43,610	$38,270 – $49,350	2,140
27	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,370	$36,420 – $60,720	2,850
28	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$43,190	$37,400 – $57,560	1,370
29	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,370	$37,400 – $57,570	3,010

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA with no degree

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