High paying production jobs in Columbus, GA-AL with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Columbus, GA-AL 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 Columbus, GA-AL run 10.7% below the national average (2024), so a Columbus, GA-AL salary is worth about 1.12× 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 Columbus, GA-AL

OccupationMedian, Columbus, GA-AL · Employed

1Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$55,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,380 – $78,820720
2Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$50,310
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,700 – $67,520110
3Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$47,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,020 – $65,04060
4Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$45,830
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,070 – $90,040120
5Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$40,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,650 – $57,020330
6Production Workers, All Other$40,080
High school diploma or equivalent
$26,630 – $80,790350
7Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$39,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$20,000 – $62,700100
8Food Processing Workers, All Other$39,190
No formal educational credential
$28,680 – $47,65050
9Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$37,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$22,540 – $47,74090
10Butchers and Meat Cutters$36,810
No formal educational credential
$21,630 – $47,920140
11Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$36,400
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,640 – $48,31060
12Helpers--Production Workers$36,080
High school diploma or equivalent
$26,880 – $49,59090
13Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$35,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,320 – $44,450790
14Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$35,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,060 – $46,34050
15Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$33,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$24,630 – $45,020180
16Sewing Machine Operators$33,440
No formal educational credential
$30,850 – $33,580240
17Printing Press Operators$30,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$24,740 – $42,41070
18Bakers$28,360
No formal educational credential
$20,820 – $38,750170
19Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials$27,600
No formal educational credential
$20,870 – $32,64040
20Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$27,390
No formal educational credential
$21,390 – $35,760150

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

#	Occupation	MedianColumbus, GA-AL	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,430	$34,380 – $78,820	720
2	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,310	$32,700 – $67,520	110
3	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,460	$34,020 – $65,040	60
4	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,830	$37,070 – $90,040	120
5	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,100	$31,650 – $57,020	330
6	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,080	$26,630 – $80,790	350
7	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,520	$20,000 – $62,700	100
8	Food Processing Workers, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$39,190	$28,680 – $47,650	50
9	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,140	$22,540 – $47,740	90
10	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$36,810	$21,630 – $47,920	140
11	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,400	$29,640 – $48,310	60
12	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,080	$26,880 – $49,590	90
13	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,740	$29,320 – $44,450	790
14	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,390	$31,060 – $46,340	50
15	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$33,680	$24,630 – $45,020	180
16	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$33,440	$30,850 – $33,580	240
17	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$30,640	$24,740 – $42,410	70
18	BakersNo formal educational credential	$28,360	$20,820 – $38,750	170
19	Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related MaterialsNo formal educational credential	$27,600	$20,870 – $32,640	40
20	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$27,390	$21,390 – $35,760	150

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Columbus, GA-AL. 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 Columbus, GA-AL to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Columbus, GA-AL with no experience

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