High paying production jobs in Montana with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Montana 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 Montana run 5.4% below the national average (2024), so a Montana salary is worth about 1.06× 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 Montana.

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

Find production jobs in Montana

OccupationMedian, Montana · Employed

1Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers$98,310
High school diploma or equivalent
$75,760 – $108,160550
2Plant and System Operators, All Other$81,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$60,670 – $89,840170
3Machinists$60,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,940 – $81,810630
4Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$60,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,630 – $66,250260
5Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$58,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,470 – $101,260580
6Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$58,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,320 – $81,420690
7Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$55,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,720 – $81,4701,530
8Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$51,880
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,040 – $68,880240
9Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$49,090
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,320 – $57,960280
10Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$47,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,800 – $62,240510
11Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,080 – $64,160340
12Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$47,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,020 – $57,860190
13Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,110 – $60,890330
14Helpers--Production Workers$46,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,280 – $50,690220
15Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$45,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,020 – $58,100360
16Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$44,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,050 – $59,3401,510
17Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$44,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,760 – $60,220380
18Printing Press Operators$42,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $57,990300
19Production Workers, All Other$41,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,800 – $69,060290
20Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$41,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,590 – $53,580160
21Butchers and Meat Cutters$41,600
No formal educational credential
$29,760 – $56,720740
22Food Batchmakers$39,630
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,030 – $52,000170
23Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$38,410
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,570 – $53,330280
24Bakers$37,200
No formal educational credential
$26,080 – $50,670990
25Sewing Machine Operators$36,740
No formal educational credential
$24,290 – $50,370190
26Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$36,250
No formal educational credential
$30,160 – $44,9801,030

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

#	Occupation	MedianMontana	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and GaugersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$98,310	$75,760 – $108,160	550
2	Plant and System Operators, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$81,340	$60,670 – $89,840	170
3	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,920	$37,940 – $81,810	630
4	Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,110	$34,630 – $66,250	260
5	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,070	$37,470 – $101,260	580
6	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,040	$37,320 – $81,420	690
7	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,610	$43,720 – $81,470	1,530
8	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,880	$39,040 – $68,880	240
9	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,090	$42,320 – $57,960	280
10	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,920	$37,800 – $62,240	510
11	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,920	$37,080 – $64,160	340
12	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,730	$38,020 – $57,860	190
13	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,380	$37,110 – $60,890	330
14	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,110	$33,280 – $50,690	220
15	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,610	$32,020 – $58,100	360
16	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,940	$35,050 – $59,340	1,510
17	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,350	$29,760 – $60,220	380
18	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,220	$31,200 – $57,990	300
19	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,990	$33,800 – $69,060	290
20	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,740	$34,590 – $53,580	160
21	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$41,600	$29,760 – $56,720	740
22	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,630	$29,030 – $52,000	170
23	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,410	$34,570 – $53,330	280
24	BakersNo formal educational credential	$37,200	$26,080 – $50,670	990
25	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$36,740	$24,290 – $50,370	190
26	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$36,250	$30,160 – $44,980	1,030

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

Metro areas in Montana

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

By field in Montana

Without a degree

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

High paying production jobs in Montana with no experience

More for Montana

Metro areas in Montana

By field in Montana

Without a degree

High paying production jobs in each state with no experience