High paying production jobs in New Jersey with no experience

The best paid production occupations in New Jersey 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 New Jersey run 8.8% above the national average (2024), so a New Jersey salary is worth about 0.92× 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 New Jersey.

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

Find production jobs in New Jersey

OccupationMedian, New Jersey · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$78,760
High school diploma or equivalent
$51,050 – $99,2402,500
2Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators$76,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$54,170 – $106,4901,400
3Machinists$63,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,170 – $90,7403,210
4Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$59,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,290 – $81,7603,730
5Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$58,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,780 – $82,8502,890
6Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$57,810
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,940 – $75,2402,050
7Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$56,500
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,980 – $79,7808,560
8Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$55,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,520 – $73,3301,540
9Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$54,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,430 – $75,2301,770
10Printing Press Operators$50,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,900 – $77,5504,180
11Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$49,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,740 – $77,33012,280
12Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,080
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,350 – $62,5701,880
13Print Binding and Finishing Workers$46,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,220 – $61,5001,640
14Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$45,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,330 – $62,9203,210
15Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$45,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,570 – $66,0006,300
16Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,700 – $60,9501,950
17Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$41,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,090 – $60,6603,090
18Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$40,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,230 – $59,8009,810
19Production Workers, All Other$40,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,440 – $58,7705,310
20Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$39,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,220 – $60,8002,450
21Helpers--Production Workers$39,290
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,440 – $58,5204,450
22Butchers and Meat Cutters$38,540
No formal educational credential
$32,220 – $65,9404,610
23Food Batchmakers$38,250
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,350 – $56,4403,640
24Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$37,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,220 – $55,94022,270
25Bakers$36,960
No formal educational credential
$32,220 – $55,2808,110
26Sewing Machine Operators$36,130
No formal educational credential
$32,220 – $46,1702,750
27Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$36,050
No formal educational credential
$32,220 – $40,7706,110

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

#	Occupation	MedianNew Jersey	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$78,760	$51,050 – $99,240	2,500
2	Stationary Engineers and Boiler OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$76,560	$54,170 – $106,490	1,400
3	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,190	$46,170 – $90,740	3,210
4	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,440	$43,290 – $81,760	3,730
5	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,240	$37,780 – $82,850	2,890
6	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,810	$37,940 – $75,240	2,050
7	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,500	$35,980 – $79,780	8,560
8	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,650	$44,520 – $73,330	1,540
9	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,100	$35,430 – $75,230	1,770
10	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,430	$37,900 – $77,550	4,180
11	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,140	$35,740 – $77,330	12,280
12	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,080	$35,350 – $62,570	1,880
13	Print Binding and Finishing WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,600	$32,220 – $61,500	1,640
14	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,950	$35,330 – $62,920	3,210
15	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,800	$34,570 – $66,000	6,300
16	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,680	$36,700 – $60,950	1,950
17	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,390	$35,090 – $60,660	3,090
18	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,280	$32,230 – $59,800	9,810
19	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,000	$34,440 – $58,770	5,310
20	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,950	$32,220 – $60,800	2,450
21	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,290	$32,440 – $58,520	4,450
22	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$38,540	$32,220 – $65,940	4,610
23	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,250	$32,350 – $56,440	3,640
24	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,620	$32,220 – $55,940	22,270
25	BakersNo formal educational credential	$36,960	$32,220 – $55,280	8,110
26	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$36,130	$32,220 – $46,170	2,750
27	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$36,050	$32,220 – $40,770	6,110

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

Metro areas in New Jersey

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

By field in New Jersey

Without a degree

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

High paying production jobs in New Jersey with no experience

More for New Jersey

Metro areas in New Jersey

By field in New Jersey

Without a degree

High paying production jobs in each state with no experience