High paying production jobs in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA run 8.3% below the national average (2024), so a Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA salary is worth about 1.09× 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

OccupationMedian, Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$67,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,970 – $87,750330
2Tire Builders$63,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,650 – $63,820310
3Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$59,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,220 – $74,8501,170
4Machinists$59,290
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,270 – $74,380210
5Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$58,870
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,500 – $66,340430
6Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$55,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,340 – $62,530310
7Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$52,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,510 – $63,260260
8Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$52,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,590 – $59,450150
9Helpers--Production Workers$52,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,060 – $54,390200
10Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$51,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,770 – $60,090850
11Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$50,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,960 – $71,2401,220
12Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,470
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,320 – $63,190130
13Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$49,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,500 – $61,510150
14Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,700
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,650 – $62,090500
15Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,510
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,760 – $61,980200
16Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$47,880
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,940 – $60,4202,880
17Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,210 – $71,240380
18Food Batchmakers$47,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,710 – $61,850500
19Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$45,750
No formal educational credential
$30,500 – $46,860180
20Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$43,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,990 – $58,620350
21Printing Press Operators$43,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,610 – $59,590520
22Food Processing Workers, All Other$42,960
No formal educational credential
$39,100 – $46,940130
23Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$42,290
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,810 – $63,090360
24Production Workers, All Other$40,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,300 – $60,040560
25Bakers$37,680
No formal educational credential
$27,740 – $49,700700
26Butchers and Meat Cutters$36,770
No formal educational credential
$31,490 – $47,300770
27Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$34,380
No formal educational credential
$29,100 – $39,010510

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

#	Occupation	MedianDes Moines-West Des Moines, IA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$67,450	$47,970 – $87,750	330
2	Tire BuildersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,060	$38,650 – $63,820	310
3	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,980	$47,220 – $74,850	1,170
4	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,290	$38,270 – $74,380	210
5	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,870	$39,500 – $66,340	430
6	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,170	$44,340 – $62,530	310
7	Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,980	$36,510 – $63,260	260
8	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,920	$45,590 – $59,450	150
9	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,050	$31,060 – $54,390	200
10	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,100	$36,770 – $60,090	850
11	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,850	$35,960 – $71,240	1,220
12	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,470	$35,320 – $63,190	130
13	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,040	$40,500 – $61,510	150
14	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,700	$38,650 – $62,090	500
15	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,510	$36,760 – $61,980	200
16	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,880	$31,940 – $60,420	2,880
17	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,820	$32,210 – $71,240	380
18	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,010	$34,710 – $61,850	500
19	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$45,750	$30,500 – $46,860	180
20	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,660	$36,990 – $58,620	350
21	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,450	$31,610 – $59,590	520
22	Food Processing Workers, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$42,960	$39,100 – $46,940	130
23	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,290	$29,810 – $63,090	360
24	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,660	$33,300 – $60,040	560
25	BakersNo formal educational credential	$37,680	$27,740 – $49,700	700
26	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$36,770	$31,490 – $47,300	770
27	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$34,380	$29,100 – $39,010	510

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA. 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA with no experience

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