High paying production jobs in Dubuque, IA with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Dubuque, 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 Dubuque, IA run 12.7% below the national average (2024), so a Dubuque, IA salary is worth about 1.15× 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 Dubuque, IA

OccupationMedian, Dubuque, IA · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$64,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$52,160 – $65,96060
2Tool and Die Makers$63,290
Postsecondary nondegree award
$49,900 – $78,83070
3Machinists$58,890
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,820 – $66,380180
4Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$56,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,220 – $64,960330
5Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers$55,770
Postsecondary nondegree award
$44,720 – $78,22050
6Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$52,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,530 – $62,900260
7Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$50,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,540 – $56,910800
8Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders$50,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,660 – $50,14040
9Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,000 – $61,68030
10Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$49,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,710 – $64,400260
11Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,590 – $55,820130
12Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,890 – $56,950290
13Food Batchmakers$49,130
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,020 – $58,380140
14Production Workers, All Other$48,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,270 – $59,510130
15Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,910 – $57,01070
16Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$47,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,770 – $52,470160
17Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,700 – $62,140180
18Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,720
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,350 – $67,46080
19Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$45,910
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,390 – $62,92090
20Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$43,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,950 – $55,29040
21Bakers$41,160
No formal educational credential
$22,370 – $49,180110
22Printing Press Operators$40,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,680 – $58,44050
23Sewing Machine Operators$39,120
No formal educational credential
$35,510 – $47,10050
24Butchers and Meat Cutters$36,520
No formal educational credential
$30,780 – $45,530110
25Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$32,770
No formal educational credential
$29,750 – $41,37050

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

#	Occupation	MedianDubuque, IA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$64,420	$52,160 – $65,960	60
2	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$63,290	$49,900 – $78,830	70
3	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,890	$47,820 – $66,380	180
4	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,100	$47,220 – $64,960	330
5	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool ProgrammersPostsecondary nondegree award	$55,770	$44,720 – $78,220	50
6	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,110	$39,530 – $62,900	260
7	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,320	$36,540 – $56,910	800
8	Food Cooking Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,140	$37,660 – $50,140	40
9	Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,930	$44,000 – $61,680	30
10	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,800	$37,710 – $64,400	260
11	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,740	$38,590 – $55,820	130
12	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,180	$46,890 – $56,950	290
13	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,130	$36,020 – $58,380	140
14	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,750	$29,270 – $59,510	130
15	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,620	$44,910 – $57,010	70
16	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,640	$39,770 – $52,470	160
17	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,770	$36,700 – $62,140	180
18	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,720	$31,350 – $67,460	80
19	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,910	$37,390 – $62,920	90
20	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,600	$37,950 – $55,290	40
21	BakersNo formal educational credential	$41,160	$22,370 – $49,180	110
22	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,560	$31,680 – $58,440	50
23	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$39,120	$35,510 – $47,100	50
24	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$36,520	$30,780 – $45,530	110
25	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$32,770	$29,750 – $41,370	50

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Dubuque, 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.

More for Dubuque, IA

Other metro areas in IA

By field in Dubuque, IA

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Dubuque, IA to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Dubuque, IA with no experience

More for Dubuque, IA

Other metro areas in IA

By field in Dubuque, IA

Without a degree

High paying production jobs in each state with no experience