High paying production jobs in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 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 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO run 1.1% above the national average (2024), so a Fort Collins-Loveland, CO salary is worth about 0.99× 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 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO

OccupationMedian, Fort Collins-Loveland, CO · Employed

1Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$79,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,750 – $79,800670
2Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$73,330
High school diploma or equivalent
$52,310 – $95,380170
3Plant and System Operators, All Other$70,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,700 – $94,76070
4Machinists$61,500
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,460 – $76,950480
5Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$59,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,350 – $74,130440
6Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$58,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,010 – $82,56090
7Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$56,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,240 – $91,810370
8Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$51,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,340 – $79,040110
9Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$50,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,660 – $68,830110
10Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,890 – $65,430160
11Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,940 – $99,43080
12Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$48,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,540 – $80,400480
13Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$48,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,500 – $60,000160
14Butchers and Meat Cutters$47,080
No formal educational credential
$32,580 – $56,29090
15Production Workers, All Other$46,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,880 – $56,410120
16Printing Press Operators$45,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,930 – $56,820120
17Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$45,410
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,370 – $63,290820
18Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$44,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,460 – $57,23060
19Helpers--Production Workers$42,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,800 – $53,560140
20Bakers$37,960
No formal educational credential
$31,090 – $54,520390
21Food Batchmakers$37,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,570 – $47,940490
22Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$36,800
No formal educational credential
$32,700 – $46,320140

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

#	Occupation	MedianFort Collins-Loveland, CO	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$79,800	$40,750 – $79,800	670
2	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$73,330	$52,310 – $95,380	170
3	Plant and System Operators, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$70,820	$47,700 – $94,760	70
4	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,500	$47,460 – $76,950	480
5	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,660	$44,350 – $74,130	440
6	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,730	$39,010 – $82,560	90
7	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,740	$45,240 – $91,810	370
8	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,590	$41,340 – $79,040	110
9	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,900	$43,660 – $68,830	110
10	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,620	$37,890 – $65,430	160
11	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,260	$38,940 – $99,430	80
12	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,650	$40,540 – $80,400	480
13	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,070	$38,500 – $60,000	160
14	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$47,080	$32,580 – $56,290	90
15	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,840	$40,880 – $56,410	120
16	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,790	$36,930 – $56,820	120
17	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,410	$37,370 – $63,290	820
18	Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,220	$41,460 – $57,230	60
19	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,850	$30,800 – $53,560	140
20	BakersNo formal educational credential	$37,960	$31,090 – $54,520	390
21	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,570	$36,570 – $47,940	490
22	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$36,800	$32,700 – $46,320	140

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO. 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 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO with no experience

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