High paying production jobs in Pittsburgh, PA with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Pittsburgh, PA 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 Pittsburgh, PA run 5.3% below the national average (2024), so a Pittsburgh, PA 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.

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 Pittsburgh, PA

OccupationMedian, Pittsburgh, PA · Employed

1Gas Plant Operators$81,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$65,210 – $101,670440
2Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators$73,090
High school diploma or equivalent
$54,190 – $79,840410
3Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$69,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,990 – $69,2401,260
4Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$65,480
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,750 – $89,1701,020
5Tool and Die Makers$61,160
Postsecondary nondegree award
$48,120 – $76,350660
6Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$60,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,010 – $98,290520
7Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$58,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,860 – $84,4801,650
8Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$57,030
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,230 – $79,490890
9Machinists$55,880
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,930 – $74,5402,760
10Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$53,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,280 – $75,7803,600
11Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,030
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,150 – $72,350600
12Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$49,090
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,380 – $75,5504,020
13Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,890
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,020 – $74,090420
14Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,760
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,450 – $73,7201,030
15Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,390 – $62,120680
16Printing Press Operators$47,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,080 – $58,9801,080
17Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,190 – $57,140500
18Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,400 – $61,6101,600
19Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$45,810
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,070 – $55,9303,720
20Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,210 – $61,0001,500
21Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$45,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,240 – $62,8506,690
22Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,560 – $58,550800
23Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$44,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,980 – $60,650460
24Butchers and Meat Cutters$41,720
No formal educational credential
$30,530 – $56,050740
25Helpers--Production Workers$41,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,530 – $53,760770
26Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$40,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,750 – $56,3801,040
27Production Workers, All Other$40,490
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,530 – $60,6601,430
28Food Batchmakers$37,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$26,930 – $57,960740
29Sewing Machine Operators$35,440
No formal educational credential
$28,340 – $41,530490
30Bakers$35,340
No formal educational credential
$22,470 – $48,1102,000
31Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$32,140
No formal educational credential
$26,400 – $37,6901,040

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

#	Occupation	MedianPittsburgh, PA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Gas Plant OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$81,600	$65,210 – $101,670	440
2	Stationary Engineers and Boiler OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$73,090	$54,190 – $79,840	410
3	Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$69,150	$49,990 – $69,240	1,260
4	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$65,480	$45,750 – $89,170	1,020
5	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$61,160	$48,120 – $76,350	660
6	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,820	$42,010 – $98,290	520
7	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,770	$42,860 – $84,480	1,650
8	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,030	$38,230 – $79,490	890
9	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,880	$38,930 – $74,540	2,760
10	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,610	$43,280 – $75,780	3,600
11	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,030	$39,150 – $72,350	600
12	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,090	$35,380 – $75,550	4,020
13	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,890	$40,020 – $74,090	420
14	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,760	$37,450 – $73,720	1,030
15	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,530	$37,390 – $62,120	680
16	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,150	$31,080 – $58,980	1,080
17	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,010	$37,190 – $57,140	500
18	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,940	$34,400 – $61,610	1,600
19	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,810	$36,070 – $55,930	3,720
20	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,770	$36,210 – $61,000	1,500
21	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,610	$34,240 – $62,850	6,690
22	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,570	$34,560 – $58,550	800
23	Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,590	$35,980 – $60,650	460
24	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$41,720	$30,530 – $56,050	740
25	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,240	$31,530 – $53,760	770
26	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,820	$30,750 – $56,380	1,040
27	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,490	$31,530 – $60,660	1,430
28	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,040	$26,930 – $57,960	740
29	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$35,440	$28,340 – $41,530	490
30	BakersNo formal educational credential	$35,340	$22,470 – $48,110	2,000
31	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$32,140	$26,400 – $37,690	1,040

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Pittsburgh, PA. 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 Pittsburgh, PA to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Pittsburgh, PA with no experience

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