High paying production jobs in Lexington-Fayette, KY with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Lexington-Fayette, KY 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 Lexington-Fayette, KY run 7.1% below the national average (2024), so a Lexington-Fayette, KY 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 Lexington-Fayette, KY

OccupationMedian, Lexington-Fayette, KY · Employed

1Tool and Die Makers$83,510
Postsecondary nondegree award
$46,670 – $94,960290
2Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$59,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,320 – $78,3308,650
3Food Batchmakers$56,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,500 – $78,800490
4Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$53,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,170 – $66,300480
5Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$52,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,520 – $72,130100
6Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,340 – $70,470150
7Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$49,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,260 – $61,050240
8Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,850 – $84,220380
9Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,710
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,440 – $75,440390
10Printing Press Operators$47,400
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,650 – $64,210350
11Prepress Technicians and Workers$47,280
Postsecondary nondegree award
$39,020 – $58,250100
12Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,230 – $58,170120
13Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$45,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,470 – $76,370270
14Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$45,510
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,340 – $53,520380
15Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$45,470
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,120 – $66,000260
16Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$44,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,560 – $56,740110
17Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$44,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,660 – $52,630570
18Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$44,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,460 – $78,1202,100
19Helpers--Production Workers$41,250
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,680 – $56,680160
20Butchers and Meat Cutters$36,780
No formal educational credential
$30,080 – $48,700220
21Sewing Machine Operators$36,170
No formal educational credential
$24,510 – $44,730300
22Bakers$34,460
No formal educational credential
$22,750 – $46,320300
23Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials$32,720
No formal educational credential
$24,690 – $36,990120
24Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$29,350
No formal educational credential
$24,210 – $37,650350
25Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$28,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$27,520 – $37,780150

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

#	Occupation	MedianLexington-Fayette, KY	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$83,510	$46,670 – $94,960	290
2	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,730	$37,320 – $78,330	8,650
3	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,730	$36,500 – $78,800	490
4	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,680	$40,170 – $66,300	480
5	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,150	$40,520 – $72,130	100
6	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,440	$38,340 – $70,470	150
7	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,280	$31,260 – $61,050	240
8	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,740	$33,850 – $84,220	380
9	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,710	$36,440 – $75,440	390
10	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,400	$36,650 – $64,210	350
11	Prepress Technicians and WorkersPostsecondary nondegree award	$47,280	$39,020 – $58,250	100
12	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,160	$36,230 – $58,170	120
13	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,820	$39,470 – $76,370	270
14	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,510	$29,340 – $53,520	380
15	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,470	$36,120 – $66,000	260
16	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,920	$37,560 – $56,740	110
17	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,440	$31,660 – $52,630	570
18	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,340	$34,460 – $78,120	2,100
19	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,250	$34,680 – $56,680	160
20	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$36,780	$30,080 – $48,700	220
21	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$36,170	$24,510 – $44,730	300
22	BakersNo formal educational credential	$34,460	$22,750 – $46,320	300
23	Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related MaterialsNo formal educational credential	$32,720	$24,690 – $36,990	120
24	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$29,350	$24,210 – $37,650	350
25	Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$28,380	$27,520 – $37,780	150

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Lexington-Fayette, KY. 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 Lexington-Fayette, KY to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Lexington-Fayette, KY with no experience

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