High paying production jobs in Ann Arbor, MI with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Ann Arbor, MI that require neither a degree nor prior experience in a related job. 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 Ann Arbor, MI run 0.9% above the national average (2024), so a Ann Arbor, MI salary is worth about 0.99× 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 Ann Arbor, MI

OccupationMedian, Ann Arbor, MI · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$66,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$54,870 – $83,230130
2Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$61,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,570 – $77,780380
3Tool and Die Makers$61,250
Postsecondary nondegree award
$46,280 – $92,820220
4Machinists$55,500
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,890 – $77,070290
5Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$54,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,200 – $77,310220
6Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,360
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,300 – $78,690110
7Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$47,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,300 – $77,520390
8Printing Press Operators$46,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,990 – $59,260210
9Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$46,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,900 – $74,030120
10Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$46,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,660 – $77,390800
11Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$45,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,310 – $77,49090
12Print Binding and Finishing Workers$45,250
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,150 – $54,370110
13Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$42,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,130 – $80,440410
14Production Workers, All Other$41,960
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,100 – $48,400280
15Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$40,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,570 – $57,790260
16Butchers and Meat Cutters$39,630
No formal educational credential
$31,380 – $55,370130
17Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$39,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,630 – $58,690270
18Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$38,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,530 – $51,5901,420
19Sewing Machine Operators$37,350
No formal educational credential
$30,830 – $49,03070
20Helpers--Production Workers$36,330
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,110 – $43,550100
21Bakers$35,770
No formal educational credential
$29,760 – $48,730330
22Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$35,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,150 – $58,520190
23Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$34,990
No formal educational credential
$29,260 – $42,470110

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

#	Occupation	MedianAnn Arbor, MI	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$66,770	$54,870 – $83,230	130
2	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,320	$43,570 – $77,780	380
3	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$61,250	$46,280 – $92,820	220
4	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,500	$41,890 – $77,070	290
5	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,180	$40,200 – $77,310	220
6	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,360	$38,300 – $78,690	110
7	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,240	$38,300 – $77,520	390
8	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,800	$37,990 – $59,260	210
9	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,640	$37,900 – $74,030	120
10	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,060	$35,660 – $77,390	800
11	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,590	$40,310 – $77,490	90
12	Print Binding and Finishing WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,250	$36,150 – $54,370	110
13	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,650	$36,130 – $80,440	410
14	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,960	$34,100 – $48,400	280
15	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,840	$36,570 – $57,790	260
16	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$39,630	$31,380 – $55,370	130
17	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,170	$38,630 – $58,690	270
18	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,200	$36,530 – $51,590	1,420
19	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$37,350	$30,830 – $49,030	70
20	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,330	$34,110 – $43,550	100
21	BakersNo formal educational credential	$35,770	$29,760 – $48,730	330
22	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,150	$35,150 – $58,520	190
23	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$34,990	$29,260 – $42,470	110

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

High paying production jobs in Ann Arbor, MI with no experience

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