High paying production jobs in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD run 2.6% above the national average (2024), so a Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD salary is worth about 0.98× 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

OccupationMedian, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$66,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,060 – $84,3601,650
2Machinists$61,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,480 – $81,0203,330
3Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$60,410
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,150 – $85,0104,110
4Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$58,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,430 – $79,9604,630
5Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$56,910
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,740 – $76,6601,870
6Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$55,810
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,430 – $64,9001,430
7Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$52,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,970 – $67,8601,010
8Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$51,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,440 – $79,4908,520
9Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,010 – $76,8001,990
10Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,520 – $77,1001,110
11Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,250 – $64,2501,840
12Printing Press Operators$48,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,440 – $71,6902,910
13Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,410 – $61,1801,960
14Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$47,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,830 – $64,4804,060
15Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,510
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,450 – $63,3301,150
16Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$44,340
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,220 – $60,9605,770
17Production Workers, All Other$42,760
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,880 – $59,6002,850
18Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$42,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,460 – $61,33014,100
19Slaughterers and Meat Packers$41,950
No formal educational credential
$36,050 – $46,7901,720
20Butchers and Meat Cutters$40,810
No formal educational credential
$30,700 – $59,3501,980
21Helpers--Production Workers$40,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,220 – $54,5402,190
22Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$38,150
No formal educational credential
$32,220 – $43,800920
23Bakers$37,770
No formal educational credential
$28,700 – $52,1504,410
24Food Batchmakers$37,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,350 – $49,7702,540
25Sewing Machine Operators$35,360
No formal educational credential
$28,890 – $45,5101,400
26Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$34,730
No formal educational credential
$29,420 – $43,1603,050

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

#	Occupation	MedianPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$66,680	$50,060 – $84,360	1,650
2	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,280	$43,480 – $81,020	3,330
3	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,410	$44,150 – $85,010	4,110
4	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,380	$44,430 – $79,960	4,630
5	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,910	$40,740 – $76,660	1,870
6	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,810	$37,430 – $64,900	1,430
7	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,430	$38,970 – $67,860	1,010
8	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,990	$37,440 – $79,490	8,520
9	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,900	$38,010 – $76,800	1,990
10	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,570	$39,520 – $77,100	1,110
11	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,000	$37,250 – $64,250	1,840
12	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,610	$37,440 – $71,690	2,910
13	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,180	$34,410 – $61,180	1,960
14	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,570	$35,830 – $64,480	4,060
15	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,510	$32,450 – $63,330	1,150
16	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,340	$32,220 – $60,960	5,770
17	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,760	$36,880 – $59,600	2,850
18	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,240	$29,460 – $61,330	14,100
19	Slaughterers and Meat PackersNo formal educational credential	$41,950	$36,050 – $46,790	1,720
20	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$40,810	$30,700 – $59,350	1,980
21	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,580	$32,220 – $54,540	2,190
22	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$38,150	$32,220 – $43,800	920
23	BakersNo formal educational credential	$37,770	$28,700 – $52,150	4,410
24	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,010	$32,350 – $49,770	2,540
25	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$35,360	$28,890 – $45,510	1,400
26	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$34,730	$29,420 – $43,160	3,050

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD. 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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Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD with no experience

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