High paying production jobs in New York with no experience

The best paid production occupations in New York 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 York run 7.9% above the national average (2024), so a New York salary is worth about 0.93× 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 York.

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

Find production jobs in New York

OccupationMedian, New York · Employed

1Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators$94,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$61,290 – $151,7304,480
2Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$63,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,350 – $102,2605,300
3Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers$61,720
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,160 – $102,0404,300
4Machinists$60,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,560 – $84,4409,400
5Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$59,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,840 – $87,1108,310
6Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$55,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,340 – $82,5303,490
7Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$53,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,800 – $72,9505,530
8Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$53,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,120 – $72,5404,340
9Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$52,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,830 – $68,5103,280
10Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$49,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,190 – $77,93019,790
11Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,890
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,170 – $66,9003,660
12Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$49,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,280 – $78,3504,270
13Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,510 – $77,8503,270
14Printing Press Operators$47,860
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,910 – $69,8806,700
15Butchers and Meat Cutters$47,080
No formal educational credential
$35,980 – $66,5804,540
16Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,510 – $71,7703,340
17Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$45,400
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,240 – $63,40012,700
18Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$44,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,840 – $70,2603,260
19Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$44,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,050 – $62,32033,180
20Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$44,500
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,560 – $63,1203,320
21Helpers--Production Workers$43,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,140 – $58,2503,810
22Production Workers, All Other$42,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,660 – $71,8303,370
23Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$39,330
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,200 – $59,54018,150
24Bakers$38,660
No formal educational credential
$34,670 – $53,96015,130
25Sewing Machine Operators$38,480
No formal educational credential
$33,790 – $55,2906,130
26Food Batchmakers$38,470
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,040 – $53,5608,460
27Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$35,050
No formal educational credential
$33,330 – $45,69013,020

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

#	Occupation	MedianNew York	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Stationary Engineers and Boiler OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$94,070	$61,290 – $151,730	4,480
2	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,990	$48,350 – $102,260	5,300
3	Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,720	$37,160 – $102,040	4,300
4	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,920	$40,560 – $84,440	9,400
5	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,140	$43,840 – $87,110	8,310
6	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,990	$38,340 – $82,530	3,490
7	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,340	$39,800 – $72,950	5,530
8	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,170	$36,120 – $72,540	4,340
9	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,800	$35,830 – $68,510	3,280
10	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,990	$37,190 – $77,930	19,790
11	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,890	$37,170 – $66,900	3,660
12	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,640	$38,280 – $78,350	4,270
13	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,000	$37,510 – $77,850	3,270
14	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,860	$34,910 – $69,880	6,700
15	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$47,080	$35,980 – $66,580	4,540
16	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,930	$36,510 – $71,770	3,340
17	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,400	$36,240 – $63,400	12,700
18	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,660	$33,840 – $70,260	3,260
19	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,580	$35,050 – $62,320	33,180
20	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,500	$35,560 – $63,120	3,320
21	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,540	$35,140 – $58,250	3,810
22	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,070	$33,660 – $71,830	3,370
23	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,330	$34,200 – $59,540	18,150
24	BakersNo formal educational credential	$38,660	$34,670 – $53,960	15,130
25	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$38,480	$33,790 – $55,290	6,130
26	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,470	$33,040 – $53,560	8,460
27	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$35,050	$33,330 – $45,690	13,020

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

Metro areas in New York

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 York

Without a degree

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

High paying production jobs in New York with no experience

More for New York

Metro areas in New York

By field in New York

Without a degree

High paying production jobs in each state with no experience