High paying production jobs in Charleston-North Charleston, SC with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Charleston-North Charleston, SC 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 Charleston-North Charleston, SC run 1.0% above the national average (2024), so a Charleston-North Charleston, SC 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 Charleston-North Charleston, SC

OccupationMedian, Charleston-North Charleston, SC · Employed

1Power Plant Operators$79,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$57,240 – $100,200150
2Tool and Die Makers$74,320
Postsecondary nondegree award
$62,190 – $77,000160
3Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$62,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,640 – $78,340600
4Machinists$59,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,930 – $75,160470
5Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$57,410
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,490 – $78,140290
6Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$56,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,050 – $73,890830
7Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$51,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,570 – $70,550180
8Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$51,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,970 – $79,000450
9Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$50,470
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,690 – $77,3201,060
10Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,800 – $64,440180
11Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators$49,270
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,380 – $63,360180
12Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$48,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,440 – $63,270160
13Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$48,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,660 – $63,9305,370
14Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,970
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,360 – $72,520140
15Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers, All Other$47,720
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,430 – $60,090170
16Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$47,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,020 – $60,100280
17Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,760
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,210 – $72,520160
18Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$44,630
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,230 – $69,880220
19Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$42,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,570 – $58,810490
20Printing Press Operators$42,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,710 – $56,060130
21Butchers and Meat Cutters$40,970
No formal educational credential
$36,540 – $48,940400
22Helpers--Production Workers$40,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,300 – $56,120140
23Production Workers, All Other$40,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,100 – $59,020240
24Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders$39,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,810 – $70,940150
25Bakers$39,070
No formal educational credential
$28,300 – $49,240620
26Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$38,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,840 – $61,790280
27Sewing Machine Operators$38,110
No formal educational credential
$29,190 – $50,440380
28Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$37,880
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,960 – $55,520400
29Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$33,790
No formal educational credential
$28,420 – $40,000620

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

#	Occupation	MedianCharleston-North Charleston, SC	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Power Plant OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$79,900	$57,240 – $100,200	150
2	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$74,320	$62,190 – $77,000	160
3	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,280	$39,640 – $78,340	600
4	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,280	$46,930 – $75,160	470
5	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,410	$38,490 – $78,140	290
6	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,060	$43,050 – $73,890	830
7	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,930	$40,570 – $70,550	180
8	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,790	$36,970 – $79,000	450
9	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,470	$36,690 – $77,320	1,060
10	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,620	$40,800 – $64,440	180
11	Fiberglass Laminators and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,270	$39,380 – $63,360	180
12	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,380	$35,440 – $63,270	160
13	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,180	$36,660 – $63,930	5,370
14	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,970	$34,360 – $72,520	140
15	Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,720	$35,430 – $60,090	170
16	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,000	$39,020 – $60,100	280
17	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,760	$37,210 – $72,520	160
18	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,630	$38,230 – $69,880	220
19	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,850	$39,570 – $58,810	490
20	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,540	$29,710 – $56,060	130
21	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$40,970	$36,540 – $48,940	400
22	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,800	$30,300 – $56,120	140
23	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,350	$36,100 – $59,020	240
24	Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,180	$33,810 – $70,940	150
25	BakersNo formal educational credential	$39,070	$28,300 – $49,240	620
26	Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,840	$38,840 – $61,790	280
27	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$38,110	$29,190 – $50,440	380
28	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,880	$28,960 – $55,520	400
29	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$33,790	$28,420 – $40,000	620

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Charleston-North Charleston, SC. 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 Charleston-North Charleston, SC to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Charleston-North Charleston, SC with no experience

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