High paying production jobs in Louisiana with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Louisiana 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 Louisiana run 11.8% below the national average (2024), so a Louisiana salary is worth about 1.13× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in Louisiana.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find production jobs in Louisiana

OccupationMedian, Louisiana · Employed

1Gas Plant Operators$108,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,890 – $115,390800
2Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers$106,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,160 – $111,0603,490
3Chemical Plant and System Operators$100,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$62,890 – $122,5603,400
4Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$78,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,480 – $111,2106,430
5Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$62,250
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,810 – $81,75013,690
6Machinists$61,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,930 – $84,9304,640
7Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$58,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,900 – $77,340770
8Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$58,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,480 – $79,7301,150
9Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$49,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,610 – $64,570670
10Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$49,490
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,220 – $94,4508,110
11Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$49,120
High school diploma or equivalent
$22,400 – $65,6302,520
12Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,590 – $63,330810
13Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$46,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,440 – $63,8702,450
14Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,670 – $61,370900
15Production Workers, All Other$45,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,520 – $63,0707,980
16Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$45,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $73,9103,400
17Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$40,870
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,730 – $60,960760
18Slaughterers and Meat Packers$40,120
No formal educational credential
$23,890 – $45,160650
19Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$38,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$25,370 – $55,6401,910
20Printing Press Operators$37,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$26,580 – $58,090870
21Butchers and Meat Cutters$36,790
No formal educational credential
$25,120 – $48,2402,240
22Helpers--Production Workers$36,400
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,160 – $49,1003,710
23Food Processing Workers, All Other$31,230
No formal educational credential
$23,410 – $43,9902,950
24Bakers$28,020
No formal educational credential
$21,930 – $40,7802,450
25Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$27,850
No formal educational credential
$21,570 – $38,1201,690
26Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$27,460
No formal educational credential
$21,680 – $36,5302,950

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

#	Occupation	MedianLouisiana	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Gas Plant OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$108,350	$50,890 – $115,390	800
2	Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and GaugersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$106,640	$42,160 – $111,060	3,490
3	Chemical Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$100,060	$62,890 – $122,560	3,400
4	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$78,580	$47,480 – $111,210	6,430
5	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,250	$42,810 – $81,750	13,690
6	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,110	$39,930 – $84,930	4,640
7	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,640	$34,900 – $77,340	770
8	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,230	$44,480 – $79,730	1,150
9	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,800	$35,610 – $64,570	670
10	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,490	$35,220 – $94,450	8,110
11	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,120	$22,400 – $65,630	2,520
12	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,950	$35,590 – $63,330	810
13	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,210	$31,440 – $63,870	2,450
14	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,210	$34,670 – $61,370	900
15	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,210	$30,520 – $63,070	7,980
16	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,070	$31,200 – $73,910	3,400
17	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,870	$35,730 – $60,960	760
18	Slaughterers and Meat PackersNo formal educational credential	$40,120	$23,890 – $45,160	650
19	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,370	$25,370 – $55,640	1,910
20	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,650	$26,580 – $58,090	870
21	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$36,790	$25,120 – $48,240	2,240
22	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,400	$28,160 – $49,100	3,710
23	Food Processing Workers, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$31,230	$23,410 – $43,990	2,950
24	BakersNo formal educational credential	$28,020	$21,930 – $40,780	2,450
25	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$27,850	$21,570 – $38,120	1,690
26	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$27,460	$21,680 – $36,530	2,950

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Louisiana. 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 Louisiana

Metro areas in Louisiana

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in Louisiana

Without a degree

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

High paying production jobs in Louisiana with no experience

More for Louisiana

Metro areas in Louisiana

By field in Louisiana

Without a degree

High paying production jobs in each state with no experience