High paying production jobs in Roanoke, VA with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Roanoke, VA 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 Roanoke, VA run 6.4% below the national average (2024), so a Roanoke, VA salary is worth about 1.07× 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 Roanoke, VA

OccupationMedian, Roanoke, VA · Employed

1Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$56,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,100 – $63,800940
2Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$55,300
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,470 – $60,03050
3Machinists$52,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,620 – $89,320290
4Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,920 – $61,560120
5Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$50,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,980 – $59,16080
6Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,700
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,890 – $57,100170
7Dental Laboratory Technicians$48,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,780 – $83,49050
8Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$48,470
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,570 – $62,140780
9Printing Press Operators$47,630
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,980 – $59,010130
10Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,810 – $60,160190
11Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$46,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,220 – $65,980140
12Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$44,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,960 – $57,3403,560
13Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$44,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,970 – $54,24090
14Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$42,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,560 – $50,400520
15Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$40,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,420 – $55,260190
16Production Workers, All Other$39,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,250 – $60,670460
17Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$39,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,770 – $50,970210
18Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$39,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,480 – $51,080200
19Helpers--Production Workers$38,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,870 – $47,630180
20Food Batchmakers$38,300
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,280 – $53,970240
21Butchers and Meat Cutters$38,100
No formal educational credential
$29,850 – $44,78080
22Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$37,760
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,180 – $51,510140
23Sewing Machine Operators$36,750
No formal educational credential
$27,960 – $43,750220
24Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$35,310
High school diploma or equivalent
$27,830 – $44,86060
25Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$31,960
No formal educational credential
$25,810 – $37,030200

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

#	Occupation	MedianRoanoke, VA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,040	$43,100 – $63,800	940
2	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,300	$35,470 – $60,030	50
3	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,000	$42,620 – $89,320	290
4	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,220	$36,920 – $61,560	120
5	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,010	$38,980 – $59,160	80
6	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,700	$39,890 – $57,100	170
7	Dental Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,550	$33,780 – $83,490	50
8	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,470	$36,570 – $62,140	780
9	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,630	$28,980 – $59,010	130
10	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,520	$34,810 – $60,160	190
11	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,620	$36,220 – $65,980	140
12	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,900	$34,960 – $57,340	3,560
13	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,170	$29,970 – $54,240	90
14	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,670	$35,560 – $50,400	520
15	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,530	$37,420 – $55,260	190
16	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,770	$34,250 – $60,670	460
17	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,530	$31,770 – $50,970	210
18	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,040	$34,480 – $51,080	200
19	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,460	$30,870 – $47,630	180
20	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,300	$33,280 – $53,970	240
21	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$38,100	$29,850 – $44,780	80
22	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,760	$36,180 – $51,510	140
23	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$36,750	$27,960 – $43,750	220
24	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,310	$27,830 – $44,860	60
25	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$31,960	$25,810 – $37,030	200

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

High paying production jobs in Roanoke, VA with no experience

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