High paying production jobs in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN 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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN run 3.6% above the national average (2024), so a Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN salary is worth about 0.97× 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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

OccupationMedian, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$79,290
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,690 – $110,8301,770
2Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$68,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,020 – $68,5802,290
3Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$61,250
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,210 – $89,0604,510
4Tool and Die Makers$61,180
Postsecondary nondegree award
$40,010 – $83,0503,750
5Machinists$59,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,680 – $78,99011,270
6Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$59,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,800 – $63,3304,320
7Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$52,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,130 – $74,4509,320
8Dental Laboratory Technicians$51,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,630 – $67,1401,440
9Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$50,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,420 – $77,3706,320
10Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,220 – $73,8006,550
11Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,910
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,670 – $78,8903,680
12Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$48,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,990 – $73,8405,480
13Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,630
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,070 – $64,1002,070
14Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$48,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,370 – $77,32023,080
15Food Batchmakers$47,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,760 – $61,4408,490
16Printing Press Operators$46,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,870 – $75,0007,790
17Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,720 – $70,9703,110
18Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,090 – $62,3707,910
19Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,030
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,000 – $58,9305,460
20Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders$44,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,430 – $52,6001,900
21Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$43,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,160 – $61,58047,970
22Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$43,290
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,510 – $60,82021,830
23Helpers--Production Workers$41,480
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,490 – $50,6603,710
24Production Workers, All Other$41,250
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,880 – $60,1804,810
25Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$41,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,330 – $63,1809,750
26Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$40,690
No formal educational credential
$35,750 – $45,7502,770
27Butchers and Meat Cutters$40,410
No formal educational credential
$35,380 – $52,8005,910
28Slaughterers and Meat Packers$39,200
No formal educational credential
$34,200 – $51,2901,780
29Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$38,830
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,280 – $51,2801,870
30Bakers$37,230
No formal educational credential
$32,370 – $47,6109,920
31Sewing Machine Operators$36,220
No formal educational credential
$34,210 – $47,1003,450
32Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$35,740
No formal educational credential
$31,200 – $42,6406,330

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

#	Occupation	MedianChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$79,290	$50,690 – $110,830	1,770
2	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$68,280	$46,020 – $68,580	2,290
3	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,250	$39,210 – $89,060	4,510
4	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$61,180	$40,010 – $83,050	3,750
5	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,520	$38,680 – $78,990	11,270
6	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,020	$39,800 – $63,330	4,320
7	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,650	$39,130 – $74,450	9,320
8	Dental Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,380	$47,630 – $67,140	1,440
9	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,770	$38,420 – $77,370	6,320
10	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,230	$39,220 – $73,800	6,550
11	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,910	$36,670 – $78,890	3,680
12	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,660	$38,990 – $73,840	5,480
13	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,630	$34,070 – $64,100	2,070
14	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,230	$36,370 – $77,320	23,080
15	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,660	$34,760 – $61,440	8,490
16	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,580	$31,870 – $75,000	7,790
17	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,420	$37,720 – $70,970	3,110
18	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,590	$36,090 – $62,370	7,910
19	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,030	$36,000 – $58,930	5,460
20	Food Cooking Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,280	$36,430 – $52,600	1,900
21	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,650	$34,160 – $61,580	47,970
22	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,290	$35,510 – $60,820	21,830
23	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,480	$36,490 – $50,660	3,710
24	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,250	$34,880 – $60,180	4,810
25	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,160	$33,330 – $63,180	9,750
26	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$40,690	$35,750 – $45,750	2,770
27	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$40,410	$35,380 – $52,800	5,910
28	Slaughterers and Meat PackersNo formal educational credential	$39,200	$34,200 – $51,290	1,780
29	Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,830	$36,280 – $51,280	1,870
30	BakersNo formal educational credential	$37,230	$32,370 – $47,610	9,920
31	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$36,220	$34,210 – $47,100	3,450
32	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$35,740	$31,200 – $42,640	6,330

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. 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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN with no experience

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