High paying production jobs in Kansas City, MO-KS with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Kansas City, MO-KS 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 Kansas City, MO-KS run 7.5% below the national average (2024), so a Kansas City, MO-KS 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 Kansas City, MO-KS

OccupationMedian, Kansas City, MO-KS · Employed

1Tool and Die Makers$85,740
Postsecondary nondegree award
$47,750 – $93,840450
2Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$63,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,430 – $78,4105,210
3Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$58,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,690 – $70,220780
4Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$57,500
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,880 – $80,2301,450
5Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$57,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,850 – $78,1502,710
6Dental Laboratory Technicians$56,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,340 – $79,480420
7Machinists$56,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,900 – $81,8901,350
8Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$54,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,810 – $78,90013,770
9Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$52,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,890 – $78,8601,330
10Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$52,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,070 – $66,800740
11Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$51,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,990 – $76,080690
12Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic$50,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,960 – $66,560370
13Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,920 – $78,6701,450
14Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,110 – $61,750500
15Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$48,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,210 – $61,210500
16Prepress Technicians and Workers$48,240
Postsecondary nondegree award
$36,320 – $64,630400
17Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,070 – $58,480720
18Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,160 – $70,400810
19Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$47,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,360 – $64,5703,500
20Printing Press Operators$46,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,660 – $65,0601,590
21Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$45,820
No formal educational credential
$30,870 – $48,480470
22Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$45,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,550 – $75,9302,510
23Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$44,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,890 – $57,410730
24Food Batchmakers$42,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,270 – $60,260830
25Helpers--Production Workers$42,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,350 – $58,0301,840
26Butchers and Meat Cutters$42,030
No formal educational credential
$30,250 – $56,370890
27Production Workers, All Other$40,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,750 – $59,6701,100
28Sewing Machine Operators$36,640
No formal educational credential
$31,200 – $44,000600
29Bakers$35,650
No formal educational credential
$29,530 – $48,2001,610
30Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$34,190
No formal educational credential
$29,070 – $39,4101,450

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

#	Occupation	MedianKansas City, MO-KS	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$85,740	$47,750 – $93,840	450
2	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,000	$39,430 – $78,410	5,210
3	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,260	$39,690 – $70,220	780
4	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,500	$39,880 – $80,230	1,450
5	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,370	$42,850 – $78,150	2,710
6	Dental Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,790	$43,340 – $79,480	420
7	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,740	$40,900 – $81,890	1,350
8	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,990	$36,810 – $78,900	13,770
9	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,840	$38,890 – $78,860	1,330
10	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,770	$43,070 – $66,800	740
11	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,010	$39,990 – $76,080	690
12	Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,370	$41,960 – $66,560	370
13	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,180	$36,920 – $78,670	1,450
14	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,680	$38,110 – $61,750	500
15	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,350	$37,210 – $61,210	500
16	Prepress Technicians and WorkersPostsecondary nondegree award	$48,240	$36,320 – $64,630	400
17	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,220	$38,070 – $58,480	720
18	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,680	$38,160 – $70,400	810
19	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,530	$30,360 – $64,570	3,500
20	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,560	$33,660 – $65,060	1,590
21	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$45,820	$30,870 – $48,480	470
22	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,240	$35,550 – $75,930	2,510
23	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,450	$36,890 – $57,410	730
24	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,850	$28,270 – $60,260	830
25	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,210	$35,350 – $58,030	1,840
26	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$42,030	$30,250 – $56,370	890
27	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,160	$32,750 – $59,670	1,100
28	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$36,640	$31,200 – $44,000	600
29	BakersNo formal educational credential	$35,650	$29,530 – $48,200	1,610
30	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$34,190	$29,070 – $39,410	1,450

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Kansas City, MO-KS. 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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Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Kansas City, MO-KS to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Kansas City, MO-KS with no experience

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