High paying production jobs in Columbus, OH with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Columbus, OH 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, OH run 4.5% below the national average (2024), so a Columbus, OH salary is worth about 1.05× 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, OH

OccupationMedian, Columbus, OH · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$63,700
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,420 – $78,950730
2Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$60,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,470 – $74,3401,310
3Machinists$57,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,850 – $77,3201,150
4Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$51,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,100 – $70,4702,190
5Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,520 – $77,410680
6Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$50,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,220 – $64,3901,630
7Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,720 – $70,5901,140
8Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,110 – $78,290730
9Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,830
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,650 – $61,340360
10Food Batchmakers$47,630
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,610 – $59,670820
11Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$47,130
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,770 – $72,9104,380
12Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,120
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,190 – $64,180910
13Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,090
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,620 – $61,700430
14Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$46,970
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,190 – $56,4702,020
15Printing Press Operators$46,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,470 – $61,4501,230
16Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,220 – $63,220920
17Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$46,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,320 – $66,16013,640
18Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$45,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,360 – $79,5302,930
19Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$44,890
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,170 – $62,0201,070
20Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$44,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,150 – $62,200460
21Butchers and Meat Cutters$38,790
No formal educational credential
$29,610 – $50,890800
22Production Workers, All Other$38,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$27,810 – $52,6901,660
23Helpers--Production Workers$37,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,540 – $54,830840
24Bakers$36,430
No formal educational credential
$22,920 – $47,0901,530
25Sewing Machine Operators$35,420
No formal educational credential
$29,530 – $47,490610
26Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$30,410
No formal educational credential
$27,250 – $38,1001,120

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

#	Occupation	MedianColumbus, OH	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,700	$48,420 – $78,950	730
2	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,260	$46,470 – $74,340	1,310
3	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,940	$38,850 – $77,320	1,150
4	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,260	$40,100 – $70,470	2,190
5	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,350	$36,520 – $77,410	680
6	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,150	$37,220 – $64,390	1,630
7	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,460	$36,720 – $70,590	1,140
8	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,340	$40,110 – $78,290	730
9	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,830	$37,650 – $61,340	360
10	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,630	$35,610 – $59,670	820
11	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,130	$35,770 – $72,910	4,380
12	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,120	$38,190 – $64,180	910
13	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,090	$38,620 – $61,700	430
14	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,970	$36,190 – $56,470	2,020
15	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,950	$32,470 – $61,450	1,230
16	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,580	$36,220 – $63,220	920
17	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,540	$32,320 – $66,160	13,640
18	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,600	$35,360 – $79,530	2,930
19	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,890	$38,170 – $62,020	1,070
20	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,650	$37,150 – $62,200	460
21	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$38,790	$29,610 – $50,890	800
22	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,770	$27,810 – $52,690	1,660
23	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,990	$34,540 – $54,830	840
24	BakersNo formal educational credential	$36,430	$22,920 – $47,090	1,530
25	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$35,420	$29,530 – $47,490	610
26	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$30,410	$27,250 – $38,100	1,120

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

High paying production jobs in Columbus, OH with no experience

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