High paying production jobs in Massachusetts with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts run 5.8% above the national average (2024), so a Massachusetts salary is worth about 0.95× 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 Massachusetts.

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

Find production jobs in Massachusetts

OccupationMedian, Massachusetts · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$68,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,980 – $91,3902,510
2Machinists$67,270
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,910 – $93,3307,080
3Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$62,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,720 – $83,4302,830
4Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$61,630
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,810 – $77,9202,500
5Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$58,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,120 – $79,8601,440
6Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$56,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,560 – $77,7002,860
7Printing Press Operators$53,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,430 – $75,3102,110
8Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$52,270
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,140 – $76,33010,650
9Semiconductor Processing Technicians$51,410
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,870 – $72,7501,190
10Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,550 – $77,0102,740
11Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$50,910
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,610 – $75,3402,420
12Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic$50,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,630 – $72,5201,200
13Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$50,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,850 – $65,4701,490
14Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,600 – $65,2201,920
15Butchers and Meat Cutters$48,430
No formal educational credential
$38,370 – $62,1201,480
16Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,870 – $63,7101,390
17Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$47,130
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,370 – $63,06011,580
18Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$46,720
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,660 – $60,11011,600
19Production Workers, All Other$45,780
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $75,3002,860
20Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,760
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,460 – $64,1602,590
21Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$43,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,360 – $58,4301,280
22Sewing Machine Operators$42,910
No formal educational credential
$35,580 – $53,9901,540
23Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$42,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,920 – $58,6703,810
24Helpers--Production Workers$42,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,390 – $58,0501,790
25Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$40,360
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,550 – $55,4705,020
26Bakers$38,130
No formal educational credential
$35,080 – $47,7506,070
27Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$37,490
No formal educational credential
$34,540 – $42,7103,700
28Food Batchmakers$36,880
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $49,3605,100
29Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$36,570
No formal educational credential
$33,330 – $46,4002,350

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

#	Occupation	MedianMassachusetts	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$68,550	$50,980 – $91,390	2,510
2	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$67,270	$47,910 – $93,330	7,080
3	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,570	$47,720 – $83,430	2,830
4	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,630	$42,810 – $77,920	2,500
5	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,040	$42,120 – $79,860	1,440
6	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,920	$41,560 – $77,700	2,860
7	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,050	$39,430 – $75,310	2,110
8	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,270	$38,140 – $76,330	10,650
9	Semiconductor Processing TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,410	$41,870 – $72,750	1,190
10	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,150	$36,550 – $77,010	2,740
11	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,910	$39,610 – $75,340	2,420
12	Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,550	$37,630 – $72,520	1,200
13	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,370	$39,850 – $65,470	1,490
14	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,840	$38,600 – $65,220	1,920
15	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$48,430	$38,370 – $62,120	1,480
16	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,230	$37,870 – $63,710	1,390
17	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,130	$38,370 – $63,060	11,580
18	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,720	$35,660 – $60,110	11,600
19	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,780	$31,200 – $75,300	2,860
20	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,760	$37,460 – $64,160	2,590
21	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,790	$35,360 – $58,430	1,280
22	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$42,910	$35,580 – $53,990	1,540
23	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,570	$35,920 – $58,670	3,810
24	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,280	$34,390 – $58,050	1,790
25	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,360	$33,550 – $55,470	5,020
26	BakersNo formal educational credential	$38,130	$35,080 – $47,750	6,070
27	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$37,490	$34,540 – $42,710	3,700
28	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,880	$31,200 – $49,360	5,100
29	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$36,570	$33,330 – $46,400	2,350

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

Metro areas in Massachusetts

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

By field in Massachusetts

Without a degree

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

High paying production jobs in Massachusetts with no experience

More for Massachusetts

Metro areas in Massachusetts

By field in Massachusetts

Without a degree

High paying production jobs in each state with no experience