High paying production jobs in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA run 13.6% above the national average (2024), so a Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA salary is worth about 0.88× 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

OccupationMedian, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$82,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$54,240 – $116,9002,230
2Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators$74,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,880 – $119,1301,980
3Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$56,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,530 – $79,8707,850
4Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$55,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,220 – $77,7202,030
5Machinists$55,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,980 – $80,3207,850
6Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$54,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,480 – $76,69010,450
7Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$54,870
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,470 – $82,3104,580
8Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$51,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,470 – $82,20022,610
9Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,120 – $62,4002,060
10Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,870
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,020 – $78,2502,080
11Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,060 – $69,1903,490
12Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,960
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,720 – $60,8803,740
13Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$47,960
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,020 – $64,2802,630
14Dental Laboratory Technicians$46,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,660 – $73,0202,710
15Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,690 – $58,6303,160
16Printing Press Operators$46,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,470 – $62,5006,140
17Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$46,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,770 – $64,41033,310
18Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$45,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,320 – $68,40013,740
19Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,790 – $63,1703,920
20Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$43,470
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,820 – $61,56013,990
21Helpers--Production Workers$42,490
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,420 – $59,9406,810
22Butchers and Meat Cutters$42,400
No formal educational credential
$35,090 – $59,8306,510
23Production Workers, All Other$39,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,550 – $78,55011,190
24Bakers$39,260
No formal educational credential
$36,780 – $50,12010,580
25Food Batchmakers$38,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,780 – $50,7204,130
26Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$37,330
No formal educational credential
$35,530 – $45,6809,230
27Food Processing Workers, All Other$37,280
No formal educational credential
$35,970 – $46,0902,530
28Sewing Machine Operators$37,130
No formal educational credential
$34,910 – $48,4909,310
29Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$36,540
No formal educational credential
$35,120 – $45,9604,340
30Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers, All Other$36,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,320 – $47,4503,050

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

#	Occupation	MedianLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$82,460	$54,240 – $116,900	2,230
2	Stationary Engineers and Boiler OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$74,420	$48,880 – $119,130	1,980
3	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,160	$44,530 – $79,870	7,850
4	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,750	$40,220 – $77,720	2,030
5	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,660	$36,980 – $80,320	7,850
6	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,980	$39,480 – $76,690	10,450
7	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,870	$36,470 – $82,310	4,580
8	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,560	$38,470 – $82,200	22,610
9	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,930	$37,120 – $62,400	2,060
10	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,870	$38,020 – $78,250	2,080
11	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,640	$38,060 – $69,190	3,490
12	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,960	$36,720 – $60,880	3,740
13	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,960	$38,020 – $64,280	2,630
14	Dental Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,460	$36,660 – $73,020	2,710
15	Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,420	$36,690 – $58,630	3,160
16	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,200	$36,470 – $62,500	6,140
17	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,190	$36,770 – $64,410	33,310
18	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,670	$37,320 – $68,400	13,740
19	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,440	$35,790 – $63,170	3,920
20	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,470	$35,820 – $61,560	13,990
21	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,490	$36,420 – $59,940	6,810
22	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$42,400	$35,090 – $59,830	6,510
23	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,520	$36,550 – $78,550	11,190
24	BakersNo formal educational credential	$39,260	$36,780 – $50,120	10,580
25	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,930	$35,780 – $50,720	4,130
26	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$37,330	$35,530 – $45,680	9,230
27	Food Processing Workers, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$37,280	$35,970 – $46,090	2,530
28	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$37,130	$34,910 – $48,490	9,310
29	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$36,540	$35,120 – $45,960	4,340
30	Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,540	$34,320 – $47,450	3,050

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA. 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA with no experience

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