High paying production jobs in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA with no experience

The best paid production occupations in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA run 11.9% above the national average (2024), so a San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA salary is worth about 0.89× 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

OccupationMedian, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$79,630
High school diploma or equivalent
$61,390 – $108,020880
2Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$68,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,030 – $74,910690
3Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$62,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,700 – $82,4702,940
4Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$61,870
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,820 – $77,680870
5Machinists$61,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,300 – $86,9702,180
6Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$61,300
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,770 – $80,200690
7Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers$60,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,740 – $81,050630
8Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$59,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,610 – $94,5505,950
9Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$57,780
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,810 – $79,980930
10Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$54,910
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,410 – $77,4801,960
11Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$47,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,400 – $65,480660
12Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$47,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,540 – $75,5204,650
13Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,860 – $62,470840
14Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$47,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,200 – $75,6908,340
15Helpers--Production Workers$47,120
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,090 – $62,2401,590
16Butchers and Meat Cutters$46,790
No formal educational credential
$36,640 – $59,8901,390
17Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,760 – $66,060500
18Printing Press Operators$46,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,980 – $63,330930
19Production Workers, All Other$44,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,490 – $79,6802,530
20Bakers$43,080
No formal educational credential
$36,790 – $51,5602,200
21Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$40,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,060 – $57,2402,500
22Sewing Machine Operators$39,070
No formal educational credential
$35,490 – $47,880820
23Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$38,910
No formal educational credential
$35,600 – $45,9202,400
24Food Batchmakers$38,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,880 – $51,010630

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

#	Occupation	MedianSan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$79,630	$61,390 – $108,020	880
2	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$68,350	$50,030 – $74,910	690
3	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,560	$46,700 – $82,470	2,940
4	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,870	$43,820 – $77,680	870
5	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,420	$40,300 – $86,970	2,180
6	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,300	$42,770 – $80,200	690
7	Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems AssemblersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,610	$49,740 – $81,050	630
8	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,550	$40,610 – $94,550	5,950
9	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,780	$37,810 – $79,980	930
10	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,910	$39,410 – $77,480	1,960
11	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,950	$39,400 – $65,480	660
12	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,850	$37,540 – $75,520	4,650
13	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,840	$36,860 – $62,470	840
14	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,350	$37,200 – $75,690	8,340
15	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,120	$38,090 – $62,240	1,590
16	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$46,790	$36,640 – $59,890	1,390
17	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,160	$37,760 – $66,060	500
18	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,110	$36,980 – $63,330	930
19	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,730	$36,490 – $79,680	2,530
20	BakersNo formal educational credential	$43,080	$36,790 – $51,560	2,200
21	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,000	$36,060 – $57,240	2,500
22	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$39,070	$35,490 – $47,880	820
23	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$38,910	$35,600 – $45,920	2,400
24	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,640	$35,880 – $51,010	630

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA with no experience

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