High paying production jobs in Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH 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 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH run 11.6% below the national average (2024), so a Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH salary is worth about 1.13× 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 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH

OccupationMedian, Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH · Employed

1Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers$78,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$59,770 – $106,810420
2Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$57,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,330 – $91,420240
3Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$55,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,130 – $70,89070
4Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,540 – $74,29070
5Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$47,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,680 – $75,240200
6Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$46,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,780 – $71,310550
7Machinists$46,290
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,300 – $69,840680
8Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic$45,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,900 – $69,86060
9Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$45,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,390 – $64,55070
10Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$44,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,050 – $59,68090
11Helpers--Production Workers$42,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $63,190120
12Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$40,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,480 – $58,110120
13Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$40,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,390 – $73,030420
14Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$39,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,120 – $48,99070
15Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$38,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,590 – $49,250200
16Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$37,890
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,930 – $46,650750
17Bakers$36,840
No formal educational credential
$24,530 – $46,730170
18Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$36,650
No formal educational credential
$36,650 – $36,65050
19Production Workers, All Other$36,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,240 – $63,080290
20Printing Press Operators$35,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$26,050 – $54,45060
21Butchers and Meat Cutters$33,370
No formal educational credential
$22,890 – $38,700100
22Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$28,930
No formal educational credential
$23,000 – $37,380250

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

#	Occupation	MedianHuntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and GaugersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$78,670	$59,770 – $106,810	420
2	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,430	$37,330 – $91,420	240
3	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,590	$32,130 – $70,890	70
4	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,380	$34,540 – $74,290	70
5	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,210	$31,680 – $75,240	200
6	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,980	$36,780 – $71,310	550
7	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,290	$37,300 – $69,840	680
8	Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,670	$32,900 – $69,860	60
9	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,220	$34,390 – $64,550	70
10	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,220	$33,050 – $59,680	90
11	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,980	$31,200 – $63,190	120
12	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,590	$30,480 – $58,110	120
13	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,240	$30,390 – $73,030	420
14	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,790	$35,120 – $48,990	70
15	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,380	$30,590 – $49,250	200
16	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,890	$29,930 – $46,650	750
17	BakersNo formal educational credential	$36,840	$24,530 – $46,730	170
18	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$36,650	$36,650 – $36,650	50
19	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,540	$28,240 – $63,080	290
20	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,040	$26,050 – $54,450	60
21	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$33,370	$22,890 – $38,700	100
22	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$28,930	$23,000 – $37,380	250

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH. 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 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH with no experience

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