High paying production jobs in Athens-Clarke County, GA with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Athens-Clarke County, GA 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 Athens-Clarke County, GA run 6.7% below the national average (2024), so a Athens-Clarke County, GA 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 Athens-Clarke County, GA

OccupationMedian, Athens-Clarke County, GA · Employed

1Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$62,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,990 – $65,660170
2Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$58,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,910 – $60,790260
3Machinists$56,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,440 – $72,330120
4Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers$53,970
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,090 – $60,33080
5Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$51,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,630 – $64,91050
6Dental Laboratory Technicians$49,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,770 – $80,31040
7Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,530 – $59,67060
8Production Workers, All Other$48,360
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,710 – $59,630450
9Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$47,970
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,170 – $60,190370
10Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$47,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,330 – $60,430100
11Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$45,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,600 – $63,590380
12Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,160 – $57,64040
13Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$44,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,790 – $58,36070
14Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$41,490
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,550 – $59,370270
15Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$40,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,700 – $51,54070
16Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$40,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,810 – $47,18050
17Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$38,810
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,210 – $46,220800
18Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$37,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,830 – $59,400100
19Helpers--Production Workers$37,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$27,600 – $46,38050
20Printing Press Operators$36,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$27,970 – $51,58080
21Butchers and Meat Cutters$35,980
No formal educational credential
$28,180 – $47,57090
22Food Batchmakers$32,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,980 – $51,99050
23Sewing Machine Operators$31,360
No formal educational credential
$27,600 – $36,70040
24Bakers$29,500
No formal educational credential
$21,320 – $41,600190
25Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$28,860
No formal educational credential
$21,970 – $35,46070

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

#	Occupation	MedianAthens-Clarke County, GA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,600	$40,990 – $65,660	170
2	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,560	$39,910 – $60,790	260
3	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,010	$37,440 – $72,330	120
4	Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass FibersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,970	$35,090 – $60,330	80
5	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,160	$37,630 – $64,910	50
6	Dental Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,280	$37,770 – $80,310	40
7	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,160	$34,530 – $59,670	60
8	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,360	$28,710 – $59,630	450
9	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,970	$38,170 – $60,190	370
10	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,650	$30,330 – $60,430	100
11	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,230	$33,600 – $63,590	380
12	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,140	$35,160 – $57,640	40
13	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,580	$38,790 – $58,360	70
14	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,490	$35,550 – $59,370	270
15	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,990	$30,700 – $51,540	70
16	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,840	$31,810 – $47,180	50
17	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,810	$32,210 – $46,220	800
18	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,530	$33,830 – $59,400	100
19	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,070	$27,600 – $46,380	50
20	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,140	$27,970 – $51,580	80
21	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$35,980	$28,180 – $47,570	90
22	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$32,320	$28,980 – $51,990	50
23	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$31,360	$27,600 – $36,700	40
24	BakersNo formal educational credential	$29,500	$21,320 – $41,600	190
25	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$28,860	$21,970 – $35,460	70

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Athens-Clarke County, GA. 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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Without a degree

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

High paying production jobs in Athens-Clarke County, GA with no experience

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