High paying production jobs in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH run 8.3% above the national average (2024), so a Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH salary is worth about 0.92× 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

OccupationMedian, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$73,330
High school diploma or equivalent
$54,220 – $93,0601,460
2Machinists$72,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,400 – $93,6004,870
3Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$64,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,160 – $79,8101,890
4Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$63,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,030 – $83,4302,210
5Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$58,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,070 – $79,8407,800
6Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$57,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,530 – $77,7001,820
7Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$54,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,820 – $77,9201,490
8Printing Press Operators$52,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,800 – $76,5901,360
9Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$51,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,630 – $75,3401,630
10Butchers and Meat Cutters$48,910
No formal educational credential
$39,420 – $61,9301,150
11Production Workers, All Other$48,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,220 – $79,6202,340
12Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,080
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,380 – $65,5201,290
13Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$48,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,420 – $63,5709,530
14Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$47,860
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,270 – $62,4209,900
15Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,430 – $55,560850
16Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$44,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,490 – $57,3303,360
17Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$43,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,900 – $61,1801,690
18Helpers--Production Workers$43,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,360 – $58,0801,100
19Sewing Machine Operators$42,970
No formal educational credential
$35,770 – $55,300850
20Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$38,830
No formal educational credential
$34,810 – $54,2801,250
21Bakers$38,570
No formal educational credential
$35,720 – $48,3004,380
22Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$37,690
No formal educational credential
$35,560 – $43,0902,820
23Food Batchmakers$37,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $50,0003,840

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

#	Occupation	MedianBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$73,330	$54,220 – $93,060	1,460
2	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$72,060	$48,400 – $93,600	4,870
3	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$64,180	$46,160 – $79,810	1,890
4	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,770	$49,030 – $83,430	2,210
5	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,210	$41,070 – $79,840	7,800
6	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,370	$44,530 – $77,700	1,820
7	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,560	$37,820 – $77,920	1,490
8	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,180	$39,800 – $76,590	1,360
9	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,070	$40,630 – $75,340	1,630
10	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$48,910	$39,420 – $61,930	1,150
11	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,790	$32,220 – $79,620	2,340
12	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,080	$39,380 – $65,520	1,290
13	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,060	$38,420 – $63,570	9,530
14	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,860	$38,270 – $62,420	9,900
15	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,730	$40,430 – $55,560	850
16	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,390	$33,490 – $57,330	3,360
17	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,940	$36,900 – $61,180	1,690
18	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,240	$35,360 – $58,080	1,100
19	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$42,970	$35,770 – $55,300	850
20	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$38,830	$34,810 – $54,280	1,250
21	BakersNo formal educational credential	$38,570	$35,720 – $48,300	4,380
22	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$37,690	$35,560 – $43,090	2,820
23	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,010	$31,200 – $50,000	3,840

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH. 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH with no experience

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