High paying production jobs in Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 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 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL run 2.9% below the national average (2024), so a Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL salary is worth about 1.03× 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 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL

OccupationMedian, Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL · Employed

1Power Plant Operators$106,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$83,950 – $135,080100
2Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$52,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,960 – $59,030130
3Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$51,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,140 – $75,140270
4Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$48,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,480 – $67,000820
5Machinists$46,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,100 – $64,590390
6Printing Press Operators$46,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,340 – $61,540150
7Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$46,090
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,380 – $64,070830
8Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$45,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,550 – $53,04090
9Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$45,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,970 – $52,590210
10Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$45,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,380 – $59,230370
11Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic$43,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,640 – $54,390170
12Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$42,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,860 – $57,66090
13Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$42,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,550 – $58,550210
14Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$39,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,320 – $46,9801,970
15Food Batchmakers$39,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,330 – $50,090480
16Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$39,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,290 – $57,7001,490
17Butchers and Meat Cutters$39,110
No formal educational credential
$34,530 – $48,060270
18Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$38,870
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,310 – $49,920200
19Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$38,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,590 – $50,580200
20Helpers--Production Workers$37,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$27,100 – $51,210220
21Production Workers, All Other$36,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,330 – $50,400650
22Bakers$36,570
No formal educational credential
$27,930 – $44,410280
23Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$36,160
No formal educational credential
$27,040 – $49,03090
24Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$35,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,200 – $45,03090
25Sewing Machine Operators$33,700
No formal educational credential
$28,260 – $49,450110
26Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$30,220
No formal educational credential
$28,650 – $34,790320

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

#	Occupation	MedianLakeland-Winter Haven, FL	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Power Plant OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$106,540	$83,950 – $135,080	100
2	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,390	$36,960 – $59,030	130
3	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,820	$36,140 – $75,140	270
4	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,520	$39,480 – $67,000	820
5	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,990	$38,100 – $64,590	390
6	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,380	$31,340 – $61,540	150
7	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,090	$35,380 – $64,070	830
8	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,750	$35,550 – $53,040	90
9	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,560	$34,970 – $52,590	210
10	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,160	$35,380 – $59,230	370
11	Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,680	$40,640 – $54,390	170
12	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,900	$32,860 – $57,660	90
13	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,730	$34,550 – $58,550	210
14	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,670	$30,320 – $46,980	1,970
15	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,670	$29,330 – $50,090	480
16	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,170	$29,290 – $57,700	1,490
17	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$39,110	$34,530 – $48,060	270
18	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,870	$30,310 – $49,920	200
19	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,650	$31,590 – $50,580	200
20	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,190	$27,100 – $51,210	220
21	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,640	$33,330 – $50,400	650
22	BakersNo formal educational credential	$36,570	$27,930 – $44,410	280
23	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$36,160	$27,040 – $49,030	90
24	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,110	$29,200 – $45,030	90
25	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$33,700	$28,260 – $49,450	110
26	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$30,220	$28,650 – $34,790	320

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL. 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 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL with no experience

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