High paying production jobs in Raleigh-Cary, NC with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Raleigh-Cary, NC 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 Raleigh-Cary, NC run 1.8% below the national average (2024), so a Raleigh-Cary, NC salary is worth about 1.02× 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 Raleigh-Cary, NC

OccupationMedian, Raleigh-Cary, NC · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$61,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,240 – $79,080370
2Machinists$61,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,940 – $72,020570
3Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$60,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,080 – $76,530350
4Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$56,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,460 – $71,8001,090
5Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$49,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,470 – $75,5601,420
6Food Processing Workers, All Other$48,600
No formal educational credential
$37,830 – $48,600470
7Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,390 – $56,110600
8Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$48,480
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,410 – $61,730820
9Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$47,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,380 – $65,470290
10Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,210 – $79,030310
11Printing Press Operators$45,960
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,130 – $60,910380
12Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$45,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$26,900 – $59,990780
13Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$41,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,800 – $62,670260
14Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$40,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,670 – $56,800270
15Helpers--Production Workers$39,760
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,550 – $50,900310
16Production Workers, All Other$39,510
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $64,3402,400
17Butchers and Meat Cutters$39,020
No formal educational credential
$31,140 – $57,110530
18Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$38,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,580 – $57,050410
19Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$38,080
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,480 – $53,3303,190
20Bakers$36,210
No formal educational credential
$21,270 – $46,0901,410
21Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$32,000
No formal educational credential
$26,450 – $37,510510
22Sewing Machine Operators$30,960
No formal educational credential
$23,510 – $42,460340

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

#	Occupation	MedianRaleigh-Cary, NC	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,640	$48,240 – $79,080	370
2	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,430	$39,940 – $72,020	570
3	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,440	$47,080 – $76,530	350
4	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,940	$40,460 – $71,800	1,090
5	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,460	$36,470 – $75,560	1,420
6	Food Processing Workers, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$48,600	$37,830 – $48,600	470
7	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,520	$42,390 – $56,110	600
8	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,480	$28,410 – $61,730	820
9	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,420	$36,380 – $65,470	290
10	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,070	$32,210 – $79,030	310
11	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,960	$28,130 – $60,910	380
12	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,210	$26,900 – $59,990	780
13	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,620	$28,800 – $62,670	260
14	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,620	$34,670 – $56,800	270
15	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,760	$33,550 – $50,900	310
16	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,510	$31,200 – $64,340	2,400
17	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$39,020	$31,140 – $57,110	530
18	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,420	$31,580 – $57,050	410
19	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,080	$30,480 – $53,330	3,190
20	BakersNo formal educational credential	$36,210	$21,270 – $46,090	1,410
21	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$32,000	$26,450 – $37,510	510
22	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$30,960	$23,510 – $42,460	340

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Raleigh-Cary, NC. 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 Raleigh-Cary, NC to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Raleigh-Cary, NC with no experience

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