High paying production jobs in West Virginia with no degree

The best paid production occupations in West Virginia 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 West Virginia run 10.5% below the national average (2024), so a West Virginia salary is worth about 1.12× 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 West Virginia.

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

Find production jobs in West Virginia

OccupationMedian, West Virginia · Employed

1Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers$83,910
High school diploma or equivalent
$72,430 – $97,400330
2Gas Plant Operators$82,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$52,000 – $100,460420
3Chemical Plant and System Operators$81,710
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,210 – $90,250380
4Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$76,080
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,920 – $76,0801,920
5First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$68,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,970 – $118,5103,120
6Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$66,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,000 – $93,1301,190
7Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,460 – $66,420350
8Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$48,810
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,700 – $73,7802,100
9Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$47,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,360 – $75,2401,100
10Machinists$47,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,300 – $71,9801,700
11Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$47,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,500 – $80,9302,720
12Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$46,410
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,830 – $58,120810
13Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$44,510
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,270 – $56,790540
14Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic$43,300
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,220 – $51,280260
15Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$43,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,700 – $57,570290
16Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$42,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,680 – $62,840370
17Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$42,500
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,790 – $62,230420
18Print Binding and Finishing Workers$41,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,750 – $62,450280
19Printing Press Operators$41,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$25,780 – $65,220470
20Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$40,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,480 – $42,790560
21Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$40,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,860 – $49,120280
22Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$39,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,410 – $51,2303,480
23Production Workers, All Other$39,500
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,460 – $59,1602,260
24Helpers--Production Workers$39,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,670 – $55,860670
25Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$35,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$27,450 – $58,280360
26Butchers and Meat Cutters$33,570
No formal educational credential
$23,240 – $44,550600
27Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$28,970
No formal educational credential
$23,070 – $37,0301,340
28Bakers$28,480
No formal educational credential
$22,170 – $44,720750

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

#	Occupation	MedianWest Virginia	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and GaugersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$83,910	$72,430 – $97,400	330
2	Gas Plant OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$82,600	$52,000 – $100,460	420
3	Chemical Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$81,710	$44,210 – $90,250	380
4	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$76,080	$39,920 – $76,080	1,920
5	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$68,990	$45,970 – $118,510	3,120
6	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$66,060	$44,000 – $93,130	1,190
7	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,020	$38,460 – $66,420	350
8	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,810	$36,700 – $73,780	2,100
9	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,560	$35,360 – $75,240	1,100
10	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,350	$37,300 – $71,980	1,700
11	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,010	$30,500 – $80,930	2,720
12	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,410	$35,830 – $58,120	810
13	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,510	$36,270 – $56,790	540
14	Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,300	$37,220 – $51,280	260
15	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,070	$30,700 – $57,570	290
16	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,950	$31,680 – $62,840	370
17	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,500	$33,790 – $62,230	420
18	Print Binding and Finishing WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,340	$37,750 – $62,450	280
19	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,200	$25,780 – $65,220	470
20	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,260	$32,480 – $42,790	560
21	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,020	$29,860 – $49,120	280
22	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,850	$28,410 – $51,230	3,480
23	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,500	$28,460 – $59,160	2,260
24	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,190	$31,670 – $55,860	670
25	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,590	$27,450 – $58,280	360
26	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$33,570	$23,240 – $44,550	600
27	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$28,970	$23,070 – $37,030	1,340
28	BakersNo formal educational credential	$28,480	$22,170 – $44,720	750

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

Metro areas in West Virginia

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

By field in West Virginia

Without a degree

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

High paying production jobs in West Virginia with no degree

More for West Virginia

Metro areas in West Virginia

By field in West Virginia

Without a degree

High paying production jobs in each state with no degree