High paying production jobs in Longview-Kelso, WA with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Longview-Kelso, WA 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 Longview-Kelso, WA run 2.5% below the national average (2024), so a Longview-Kelso, WA 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 Longview-Kelso, WA

OccupationMedian, Longview-Kelso, WA · Employed

1Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators$77,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$66,560 – $87,92030
2Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$76,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,770 – $90,110110
3Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders$69,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$59,140 – $79,84060
4Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$64,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$57,980 – $91,30030
5Machinists$63,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,580 – $85,410140
6Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners$61,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$52,350 – $81,66040
7Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$60,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,340 – $62,030180
8Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$59,860
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,440 – $76,600120
9Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$59,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,620 – $93,200590
10Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$59,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,190 – $60,75070
11Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$58,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,160 – $74,930190
12Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$58,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,890 – $75,46080
13Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$53,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,780 – $74,50050
14Butchers and Meat Cutters$53,550
No formal educational credential
$37,000 – $55,58040
15Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$52,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,990 – $71,170110
16Food Processing Workers, All Other$50,500
No formal educational credential
$35,960 – $63,48050
17Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,320 – $78,53060
18Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$47,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,380 – $49,720540
19Printing Press Operators$45,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,550 – $61,51030
20Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$44,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,610 – $60,210210
21Helpers--Production Workers$43,120
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,960 – $55,500130
22Bakers$41,510
No formal educational credential
$36,340 – $56,67060
23Food Batchmakers$37,690
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,220 – $47,22050

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

#	Occupation	MedianLongview-Kelso, WA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Stationary Engineers and Boiler OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$77,350	$66,560 – $87,920	30
2	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$76,390	$48,770 – $90,110	110
3	Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$69,070	$59,140 – $79,840	60
4	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$64,420	$57,980 – $91,300	30
5	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,190	$46,580 – $85,410	140
6	Tool Grinders, Filers, and SharpenersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,820	$52,350 – $81,660	40
7	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,100	$46,340 – $62,030	180
8	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,860	$46,440 – $76,600	120
9	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,770	$47,620 – $93,200	590
10	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,550	$49,190 – $60,750	70
11	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,950	$39,160 – $74,930	190
12	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,790	$44,890 – $75,460	80
13	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,620	$44,780 – $74,500	50
14	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$53,550	$37,000 – $55,580	40
15	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,660	$44,990 – $71,170	110
16	Food Processing Workers, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$50,500	$35,960 – $63,480	50
17	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,570	$41,320 – $78,530	60
18	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,980	$36,380 – $49,720	540
19	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,050	$39,550 – $61,510	30
20	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,820	$38,610 – $60,210	210
21	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,120	$38,960 – $55,500	130
22	BakersNo formal educational credential	$41,510	$36,340 – $56,670	60
23	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,690	$37,220 – $47,220	50

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Longview-Kelso, WA. 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.

More for Longview-Kelso, WA

Other metro areas in WA

By field in Longview-Kelso, WA

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Longview-Kelso, WA to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Longview-Kelso, WA with no experience

More for Longview-Kelso, WA

Other metro areas in WA

By field in Longview-Kelso, WA

Without a degree

High paying production jobs in each state with no experience