High paying production jobs in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL 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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL run 10.9% below the national average (2024), so a Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL 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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL

OccupationMedian, Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL · Employed

1Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$65,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,660 – $72,22060
2Tool and Die Makers$64,370
Postsecondary nondegree award
$36,060 – $87,190140
3Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$63,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,350 – $83,740220
4Machinists$61,710
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,850 – $80,500600
5Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$60,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,620 – $74,290520
6Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,760
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,770 – $61,280180
7Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$51,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,750 – $72,2301,100
8Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,050 – $59,64090
9Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,480 – $73,270220
10Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$49,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,780 – $58,850260
11Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$48,690
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,850 – $63,840450
12Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$48,630
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,280 – $71,9501,240
13Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,890 – $56,63070
14Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders$48,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,180 – $48,600100
15Slaughterers and Meat Packers$48,120
No formal educational credential
$34,900 – $48,120430
16Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,900 – $66,330160
17Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,970
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,640 – $58,620210
18Helpers--Production Workers$46,710
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,850 – $55,990110
19Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers$46,020
Postsecondary nondegree award
$39,150 – $77,42090
20Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$45,870
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,310 – $66,560310
21Food Batchmakers$45,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,820 – $58,920280
22Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$45,470
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,100 – $57,5902,550
23Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$40,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,400 – $56,230550
24Printing Press Operators$37,710
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $59,390150
25Butchers and Meat Cutters$36,520
No formal educational credential
$29,890 – $49,070230
26Sewing Machine Operators$36,220
No formal educational credential
$31,200 – $46,51070
27Bakers$34,210
No formal educational credential
$24,750 – $48,910250
28Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$31,260
No formal educational credential
$29,080 – $39,010260
29Production Workers, All Other$31,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $52,400880

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

#	Occupation	MedianDavenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$65,850	$46,660 – $72,220	60
2	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$64,370	$36,060 – $87,190	140
3	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,440	$49,350 – $83,740	220
4	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,710	$41,850 – $80,500	600
5	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,430	$38,620 – $74,290	520
6	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,760	$35,770 – $61,280	180
7	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,190	$38,750 – $72,230	1,100
8	Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,000	$35,050 – $59,640	90
9	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,430	$38,480 – $73,270	220
10	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,050	$37,780 – $58,850	260
11	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,690	$38,850 – $63,840	450
12	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,630	$39,280 – $71,950	1,240
13	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,560	$43,890 – $56,630	70
14	Food Cooking Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,460	$38,180 – $48,600	100
15	Slaughterers and Meat PackersNo formal educational credential	$48,120	$34,900 – $48,120	430
16	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,170	$35,900 – $66,330	160
17	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,970	$37,640 – $58,620	210
18	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,710	$34,850 – $55,990	110
19	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool ProgrammersPostsecondary nondegree award	$46,020	$39,150 – $77,420	90
20	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,870	$36,310 – $66,560	310
21	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,600	$31,820 – $58,920	280
22	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,470	$35,100 – $57,590	2,550
23	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,600	$35,400 – $56,230	550
24	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,710	$31,200 – $59,390	150
25	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$36,520	$29,890 – $49,070	230
26	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$36,220	$31,200 – $46,510	70
27	BakersNo formal educational credential	$34,210	$24,750 – $48,910	250
28	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$31,260	$29,080 – $39,010	260
29	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$31,200	$31,200 – $52,400	880

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL. 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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL with no experience

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