High paying production jobs in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX run 3.1% above the national average (2024), so a Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

OccupationMedian, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX · Employed

1Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers$86,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,130 – $100,4502,450
2Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$80,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,190 – $80,1105,440
3Machinists$59,830
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,110 – $81,9304,660
4Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$51,780
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,910 – $72,1201,910
5Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$51,630
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,210 – $76,92010,620
6Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,060 – $85,2805,050
7Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,530 – $58,5901,590
8Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,210 – $73,0601,460
9Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$47,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,030 – $68,3303,150
10Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$47,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,450 – $96,4003,640
11Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$46,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,560 – $80,99016,440
12Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$45,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,230 – $67,3205,420
13Printing Press Operators$45,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,040 – $71,8003,880
14Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$45,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,890 – $65,0102,070
15Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$44,360
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,870 – $56,5901,500
16Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$43,970
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,760 – $61,1802,280
17Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$43,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,890 – $59,8404,440
18Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$40,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,190 – $58,2008,240
19Production Workers, All Other$39,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,640 – $58,8706,150
20Food Batchmakers$38,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$27,950 – $59,6904,190
21Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$38,760
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,980 – $50,6002,370
22Semiconductor Processing Technicians$38,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,010 – $59,6503,190
23Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$38,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,200 – $61,72031,310
24Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians$38,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,630 – $45,7901,940
25Butchers and Meat Cutters$38,040
No formal educational credential
$27,220 – $49,2903,090
26Helpers--Production Workers$37,890
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,800 – $48,6608,640
27Sewing Machine Operators$35,260
No formal educational credential
$26,200 – $44,9202,420
28Bakers$34,350
No formal educational credential
$26,210 – $44,0205,160
29Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$32,420
No formal educational credential
$26,530 – $39,1504,360

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

#	Occupation	MedianDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems AssemblersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$86,520	$38,130 – $100,450	2,450
2	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$80,110	$44,190 – $80,110	5,440
3	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,830	$40,110 – $81,930	4,660
4	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,780	$39,910 – $72,120	1,910
5	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,630	$39,210 – $76,920	10,620
6	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,350	$34,060 – $85,280	5,050
7	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,640	$38,530 – $58,590	1,590
8	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,590	$38,210 – $73,060	1,460
9	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,990	$36,030 – $68,330	3,150
10	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,230	$35,450 – $96,400	3,640
11	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,210	$33,560 – $80,990	16,440
12	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,930	$35,230 – $67,320	5,420
13	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,670	$35,040 – $71,800	3,880
14	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,320	$29,890 – $65,010	2,070
15	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,360	$36,870 – $56,590	1,500
16	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,970	$32,760 – $61,180	2,280
17	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,950	$35,890 – $59,840	4,440
18	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,610	$29,190 – $58,200	8,240
19	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,540	$32,640 – $58,870	6,150
20	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,950	$27,950 – $59,690	4,190
21	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,760	$28,980 – $50,600	2,370
22	Semiconductor Processing TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,440	$36,010 – $59,650	3,190
23	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,340	$30,200 – $61,720	31,310
24	Ophthalmic Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,280	$33,630 – $45,790	1,940
25	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$38,040	$27,220 – $49,290	3,090
26	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,890	$28,800 – $48,660	8,640
27	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$35,260	$26,200 – $44,920	2,420
28	BakersNo formal educational credential	$34,350	$26,210 – $44,020	5,160
29	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$32,420	$26,530 – $39,150	4,360

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. 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.

More for Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

By field in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX with no experience

More for Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

Other metro areas in TX

By field in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

Without a degree

High paying production jobs in each state with no experience