High paying production jobs in Eau Claire, WI with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Eau Claire, WI 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 Eau Claire, WI run 7.2% below the national average (2024), so a Eau Claire, WI salary is worth about 1.08× 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 Eau Claire, WI

OccupationMedian, Eau Claire, WI · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$63,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$60,170 – $73,10080
2Tool and Die Makers$63,250
Postsecondary nondegree award
$45,920 – $81,29060
3Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$61,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,220 – $61,90070
4Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers$61,010
Postsecondary nondegree award
$56,220 – $77,43030
5Machinists$60,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,660 – $73,480220
6Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$60,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,760 – $62,630330
7Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$58,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,040 – $73,670180
8Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$58,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,440 – $67,820350
9Food Batchmakers$52,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,150 – $61,900400
10Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$50,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,910 – $65,830400
11Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,990 – $62,900120
12Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$48,710
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,870 – $59,82090
13Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,450 – $59,59090
14Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,050 – $63,440120
15Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$46,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,520 – $59,07040
16Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,390 – $58,820200
17Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,810 – $61,610250
18Printing Press Operators$45,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,900 – $62,140140
19Butchers and Meat Cutters$44,820
No formal educational credential
$30,110 – $53,18080
20Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$44,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,120 – $56,9401,120
21Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$44,030
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,610 – $59,66060
22Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$42,250
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,870 – $60,180140
23Helpers--Production Workers$42,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,550 – $60,98060
24Production Workers, All Other$40,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,330 – $63,390130
25Print Binding and Finishing Workers$38,400
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,820 – $49,00060
26Bakers$36,560
No formal educational credential
$30,720 – $47,360130
27Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$35,010
No formal educational credential
$29,400 – $49,060120

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

#	Occupation	MedianEau Claire, WI	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,550	$60,170 – $73,100	80
2	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$63,250	$45,920 – $81,290	60
3	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,900	$44,220 – $61,900	70
4	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool ProgrammersPostsecondary nondegree award	$61,010	$56,220 – $77,430	30
5	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,580	$44,660 – $73,480	220
6	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,340	$35,760 – $62,630	330
7	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,660	$44,040 – $73,670	180
8	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,110	$46,440 – $67,820	350
9	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,110	$38,150 – $61,900	400
10	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,060	$36,910 – $65,830	400
11	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,010	$39,990 – $62,900	120
12	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,710	$39,870 – $59,820	90
13	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,850	$41,450 – $59,590	90
14	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,560	$36,050 – $63,440	120
15	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,670	$35,520 – $59,070	40
16	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,590	$37,390 – $58,820	200
17	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,650	$35,810 – $61,610	250
18	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,550	$33,900 – $62,140	140
19	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$44,820	$30,110 – $53,180	80
20	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,680	$34,120 – $56,940	1,120
21	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,030	$36,610 – $59,660	60
22	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,250	$36,870 – $60,180	140
23	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,220	$33,550 – $60,980	60
24	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,740	$33,330 – $63,390	130
25	Print Binding and Finishing WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,400	$36,820 – $49,000	60
26	BakersNo formal educational credential	$36,560	$30,720 – $47,360	130
27	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$35,010	$29,400 – $49,060	120

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Eau Claire, WI. 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 Eau Claire, WI to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Eau Claire, WI with no experience

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