High paying production jobs in Texas with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Texas 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 Texas run 2.9% below the national average (2024), so a Texas salary is worth about 1.03× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in Texas.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find production jobs in Texas

OccupationMedian, Texas · Employed

1Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers$84,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,670 – $108,65010,510
2First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$70,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,360 – $115,23058,930
3Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$60,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,230 – $106,23020,880
4Machinists$59,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,600 – $83,07021,700
5Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$53,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,380 – $80,24052,000
6Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$49,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,550 – $70,27010,520
7Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,430 – $80,11010,540
8Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$48,480
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,940 – $69,76013,190
9Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,790 – $78,56016,600
10Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$46,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,200 – $78,56056,390
11Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$45,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,110 – $64,4306,350
12Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$44,410
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,610 – $62,17015,440
13Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$42,720
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,340 – $57,37013,290
14Printing Press Operators$42,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,540 – $61,1609,110
15Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$41,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,780 – $59,5407,460
16Food Processing Workers, All Other$40,150
No formal educational credential
$30,750 – $46,6106,780
17Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$38,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,990 – $57,19022,970
18Production Workers, All Other$38,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,700 – $59,00018,340
19Semiconductor Processing Technicians$38,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,750 – $59,5006,110
20Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$38,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,700 – $53,2105,530
21Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$38,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,120 – $58,28093,650
22Food Batchmakers$37,500
High school diploma or equivalent
$22,410 – $53,10013,250
23Butchers and Meat Cutters$37,400
No formal educational credential
$23,760 – $55,16011,260
24Helpers--Production Workers$36,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,420 – $47,84030,470
25Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$35,890
No formal educational credential
$23,230 – $45,2308,590
26Bakers$33,790
No formal educational credential
$24,430 – $44,02016,710
27Sewing Machine Operators$31,000
No formal educational credential
$21,420 – $44,2906,950
28Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$29,630
No formal educational credential
$22,620 – $38,96017,030

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

#	Occupation	MedianTexas	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and GaugersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$84,100	$45,670 – $108,650	10,510
2	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$70,140	$43,360 – $115,230	58,930
3	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,150	$36,230 – $106,230	20,880
4	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,180	$38,600 – $83,070	21,700
5	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,340	$38,380 – $80,240	52,000
6	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,460	$36,550 – $70,270	10,520
7	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,050	$33,430 – $80,110	10,540
8	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,480	$34,940 – $69,760	13,190
9	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,750	$33,790 – $78,560	16,600
10	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,210	$32,200 – $78,560	56,390
11	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,320	$31,110 – $64,430	6,350
12	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,410	$32,610 – $62,170	15,440
13	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,720	$34,340 – $57,370	13,290
14	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,550	$29,540 – $61,160	9,110
15	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,140	$29,780 – $59,540	7,460
16	Food Processing Workers, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$40,150	$30,750 – $46,610	6,780
17	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,950	$28,990 – $57,190	22,970
18	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,850	$29,700 – $59,000	18,340
19	Semiconductor Processing TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,440	$31,750 – $59,500	6,110
20	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,340	$28,700 – $53,210	5,530
21	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,320	$29,120 – $58,280	93,650
22	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,500	$22,410 – $53,100	13,250
23	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$37,400	$23,760 – $55,160	11,260
24	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,610	$28,420 – $47,840	30,470
25	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$35,890	$23,230 – $45,230	8,590
26	BakersNo formal educational credential	$33,790	$24,430 – $44,020	16,710
27	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$31,000	$21,420 – $44,290	6,950
28	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$29,630	$22,620 – $38,960	17,030

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Texas. 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.

More for Texas

Metro areas in Texas

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in Texas

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Texas to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Texas with no degree

More for Texas

Metro areas in Texas

By field in Texas

Without a degree

High paying production jobs in each state with no degree