High paying production jobs in Madison, WI with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Madison, WI 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 Madison, WI run 2.7% below the national average (2024), so a Madison, WI 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 Madison, WI

OccupationMedian, Madison, WI · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$71,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$51,220 – $83,700150
2Tool and Die Makers$65,900
Postsecondary nondegree award
$48,470 – $95,250150
3Machinists$60,830
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,060 – $85,350700
4Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$59,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,140 – $71,2701,010
5Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$58,490
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,770 – $59,520390
6Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$53,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,300 – $75,9101,590
7Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$52,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,030 – $72,120450
8Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,490 – $66,040190
9Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$49,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,420 – $63,690490
10Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,930 – $64,470420
11Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,640 – $65,470190
12Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,260 – $70,620160
13Butchers and Meat Cutters$47,980
No formal educational credential
$35,080 – $58,960330
14Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$47,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,260 – $59,5301,490
15Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$47,360
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,990 – $59,5204,510
16Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,850 – $59,240310
17Printing Press Operators$47,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,420 – $63,790770
18Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,670 – $57,820260
19Food Batchmakers$46,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,380 – $59,4601,390
20Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$46,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,100 – $60,130770
21Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,380 – $64,300140
22Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,250 – $64,390510
23Production Workers, All Other$45,690
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,420 – $56,050750
24Helpers--Production Workers$45,410
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,340 – $60,000130
25Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,100 – $59,510790
26Print Binding and Finishing Workers$43,400
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,970 – $59,130370
27Bakers$37,590
No formal educational credential
$30,090 – $47,820720
28Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$37,260
No formal educational credential
$30,740 – $43,060490
29Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$36,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,380 – $50,690130

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

#	Occupation	MedianMadison, WI	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$71,850	$51,220 – $83,700	150
2	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$65,900	$48,470 – $95,250	150
3	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,830	$41,060 – $85,350	700
4	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,530	$45,140 – $71,270	1,010
5	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,490	$47,770 – $59,520	390
6	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,940	$39,300 – $75,910	1,590
7	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,980	$42,030 – $72,120	450
8	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,210	$40,490 – $66,040	190
9	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,920	$46,420 – $63,690	490
10	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,570	$38,930 – $64,470	420
11	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,170	$39,640 – $65,470	190
12	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,000	$38,260 – $70,620	160
13	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$47,980	$35,080 – $58,960	330
14	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,430	$38,260 – $59,530	1,490
15	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,360	$37,990 – $59,520	4,510
16	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,220	$37,850 – $59,240	310
17	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,020	$36,420 – $63,790	770
18	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,900	$39,670 – $57,820	260
19	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,580	$38,380 – $59,460	1,390
20	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,460	$36,100 – $60,130	770
21	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,150	$33,380 – $64,300	140
22	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,980	$39,250 – $64,390	510
23	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,690	$33,420 – $56,050	750
24	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,410	$34,340 – $60,000	130
25	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,150	$35,100 – $59,510	790
26	Print Binding and Finishing WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,400	$37,970 – $59,130	370
27	BakersNo formal educational credential	$37,590	$30,090 – $47,820	720
28	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$37,260	$30,740 – $43,060	490
29	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,900	$29,380 – $50,690	130

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Madison, WI. 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 Madison, WI to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Madison, WI with no experience

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