High paying production jobs in Traverse City, MI with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Traverse City, 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 Traverse City, MI run 6.6% below the national average (2024), so a Traverse City, MI salary is worth about 1.07× 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 Traverse City, MI

OccupationMedian, Traverse City, MI · Employed

1Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers$66,780
Postsecondary nondegree award
$60,260 – $105,52040
2First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$65,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,940 – $98,760270
3Tool and Die Makers$63,260
Postsecondary nondegree award
$46,270 – $99,27060
4Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$60,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,770 – $68,30090
5Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$54,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,960 – $61,640200
6Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders$53,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,870 – $55,03030
7Machinists$49,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,070 – $63,870260
8Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$49,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,890 – $67,160130
9Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$47,030
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,840 – $63,16040
10Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,870
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,260 – $61,200120
11Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$46,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,310 – $62,46060
12Food Batchmakers$45,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,330 – $65,020240
13Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$45,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,490 – $54,91050
14Printing Press Operators$44,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,590 – $50,69080
15Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$44,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,760 – $63,080220
16Helpers--Production Workers$42,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,830 – $52,68040
17Production Workers, All Other$41,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,170 – $50,44080
18Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$40,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,880 – $58,25060
19Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$39,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,060 – $53,52070
20Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$39,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,920 – $65,21050
21Butchers and Meat Cutters$38,130
No formal educational credential
$30,000 – $58,61090
22Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$38,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,320 – $56,68060
23Sewing Machine Operators$37,900
No formal educational credential
$36,340 – $49,070130
24Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$37,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,970 – $51,470470
25Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$36,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,270 – $47,24040
26Bakers$36,090
No formal educational credential
$30,040 – $48,940270
27Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$35,280
No formal educational credential
$28,400 – $42,82090

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

#	Occupation	MedianTraverse City, MI	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool ProgrammersPostsecondary nondegree award	$66,780	$60,260 – $105,520	40
2	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$65,460	$45,940 – $98,760	270
3	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$63,260	$46,270 – $99,270	60
4	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,390	$46,770 – $68,300	90
5	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,020	$36,960 – $61,640	200
6	Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,550	$35,870 – $55,030	30
7	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,420	$39,070 – $63,870	260
8	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,420	$37,890 – $67,160	130
9	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,030	$38,840 – $63,160	40
10	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,870	$33,260 – $61,200	120
11	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,570	$37,310 – $62,460	60
12	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,610	$33,330 – $65,020	240
13	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,190	$36,490 – $54,910	50
14	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,380	$35,590 – $50,690	80
15	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,190	$31,760 – $63,080	220
16	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,220	$33,830 – $52,680	40
17	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,420	$34,170 – $50,440	80
18	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,150	$35,880 – $58,250	60
19	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,600	$31,060 – $53,520	70
20	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,420	$37,920 – $65,210	50
21	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$38,130	$30,000 – $58,610	90
22	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,070	$37,320 – $56,680	60
23	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$37,900	$36,340 – $49,070	130
24	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,840	$34,970 – $51,470	470
25	Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,260	$29,270 – $47,240	40
26	BakersNo formal educational credential	$36,090	$30,040 – $48,940	270
27	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$35,280	$28,400 – $42,820	90

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Traverse City, 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 Traverse City, MI to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Traverse City, MI with no degree

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