High paying production jobs in South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI with no degree

The best paid production occupations in South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI 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 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI run 7.1% below the national average (2024), so a South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI salary is worth about 1.08× 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 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI

OccupationMedian, South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$67,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,040 – $96,100920
2Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers$63,100
Postsecondary nondegree award
$48,360 – $89,73060
3Tool and Die Makers$61,760
Postsecondary nondegree award
$42,590 – $73,450140
4Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$53,490
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,400 – $65,520100
5Machinists$51,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,170 – $68,810630
6Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,810
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,810 – $60,46050
7Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$48,270
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,190 – $59,690290
8Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,870
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,960 – $56,410280
9Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$47,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,440 – $64,520360
10Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,500
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,480 – $60,280120
11Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,110 – $61,81060
12Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$46,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,290 – $63,440720
13Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,710 – $60,340220
14Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,440 – $62,40060
15Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,270
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,930 – $57,550380
16Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,090
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,980 – $55,390170
17Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$45,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,040 – $60,950130
18Helpers--Production Workers$45,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,000 – $55,27080
19Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$45,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$21,780 – $53,020130
20Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$44,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,660 – $50,440180
21Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$44,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,230 – $53,110160
22Printing Press Operators$43,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,360 – $60,510100
23Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$43,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,100 – $69,280240
24Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$42,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,730 – $55,370230
25Butchers and Meat Cutters$41,160
No formal educational credential
$29,630 – $49,61080
26Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders$39,360
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,630 – $48,89050
27Production Workers, All Other$39,130
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,900 – $60,360120
28Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$38,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,510 – $47,35080
29Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$38,700
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,410 – $50,6701,980
30Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$38,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,920 – $49,820210
31Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$37,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,060 – $52,130420
32Bakers$36,410
No formal educational credential
$27,220 – $47,300250
33Sewing Machine Operators$32,470
No formal educational credential
$30,920 – $44,380200
34Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$29,140
No formal educational credential
$22,810 – $37,860140

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

#	Occupation	MedianSouth Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$67,340	$47,040 – $96,100	920
2	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool ProgrammersPostsecondary nondegree award	$63,100	$48,360 – $89,730	60
3	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$61,760	$42,590 – $73,450	140
4	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,490	$46,400 – $65,520	100
5	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,990	$39,170 – $68,810	630
6	Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,810	$33,810 – $60,460	50
7	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,270	$36,190 – $59,690	290
8	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,870	$36,960 – $56,410	280
9	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,670	$38,440 – $64,520	360
10	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,500	$36,480 – $60,280	120
11	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,170	$37,110 – $61,810	60
12	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,900	$35,290 – $63,440	720
13	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,560	$37,710 – $60,340	220
14	Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,460	$38,440 – $62,400	60
15	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,270	$35,930 – $57,550	380
16	Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,090	$36,980 – $55,390	170
17	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,740	$45,040 – $60,950	130
18	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,170	$35,000 – $55,270	80
19	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,010	$21,780 – $53,020	130
20	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,530	$36,660 – $50,440	180
21	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,340	$38,230 – $53,110	160
22	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,990	$32,360 – $60,510	100
23	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,550	$35,100 – $69,280	240
24	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,050	$31,730 – $55,370	230
25	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$41,160	$29,630 – $49,610	80
26	Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,360	$33,630 – $48,890	50
27	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,130	$37,900 – $60,360	120
28	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,800	$30,510 – $47,350	80
29	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,700	$31,410 – $50,670	1,980
30	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,050	$33,920 – $49,820	210
31	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,650	$30,060 – $52,130	420
32	BakersNo formal educational credential	$36,410	$27,220 – $47,300	250
33	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$32,470	$30,920 – $44,380	200
34	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$29,140	$22,810 – $37,860	140

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI. 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 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI with no degree

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