High paying production jobs in New Orleans-Metairie, LA with no experience

The best paid production occupations in New Orleans-Metairie, LA 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 Orleans-Metairie, LA run 7.4% below the national average (2024), so a New Orleans-Metairie, LA salary is worth about 1.08× 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 New Orleans-Metairie, LA

OccupationMedian, New Orleans-Metairie, LA · Employed

1Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers$107,490
High school diploma or equivalent
$53,280 – $111,3701,560
2Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$94,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,950 – $103,1701,330
3Chemical Plant and System Operators$92,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,480 – $124,770460
4Machinists$66,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,340 – $103,160550
5Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$63,270
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,520 – $82,6002,000
6Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$60,360
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,100 – $103,2601,520
7Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$59,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,200 – $81,330160
8Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$55,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$26,860 – $65,400340
9Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$49,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,440 – $76,970620
10Production Workers, All Other$44,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,520 – $63,8601,150
11Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$42,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $63,750700
12Helpers--Production Workers$39,250
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,620 – $49,840710
13Butchers and Meat Cutters$38,820
No formal educational credential
$26,820 – $50,500360
14Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$38,810
High school diploma or equivalent
$23,370 – $56,020340
15Printing Press Operators$38,120
High school diploma or equivalent
$27,040 – $58,930190
16Sewing Machine Operators$31,170
No formal educational credential
$21,180 – $41,330140
17Food Processing Workers, All Other$30,430
No formal educational credential
$23,400 – $46,170620
18Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$29,960
No formal educational credential
$23,010 – $39,630870
19Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$28,630
No formal educational credential
$21,450 – $38,490440
20Bakers$28,530
No formal educational credential
$23,970 – $42,950700

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

#	Occupation	MedianNew Orleans-Metairie, LA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and GaugersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$107,490	$53,280 – $111,370	1,560
2	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$94,450	$49,950 – $103,170	1,330
3	Chemical Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$92,260	$46,480 – $124,770	460
4	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$66,990	$44,340 – $103,160	550
5	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,270	$45,520 – $82,600	2,000
6	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,360	$30,100 – $103,260	1,520
7	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,100	$36,200 – $81,330	160
8	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,550	$26,860 – $65,400	340
9	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,930	$31,440 – $76,970	620
10	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,520	$30,520 – $63,860	1,150
11	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,990	$31,200 – $63,750	700
12	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,250	$28,620 – $49,840	710
13	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$38,820	$26,820 – $50,500	360
14	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,810	$23,370 – $56,020	340
15	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,120	$27,040 – $58,930	190
16	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$31,170	$21,180 – $41,330	140
17	Food Processing Workers, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$30,430	$23,400 – $46,170	620
18	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$29,960	$23,010 – $39,630	870
19	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$28,630	$21,450 – $38,490	440
20	BakersNo formal educational credential	$28,530	$23,970 – $42,950	700

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in New Orleans-Metairie, LA. 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 New Orleans-Metairie, LA to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in New Orleans-Metairie, LA with no experience

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