High paying production jobs in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA with no experience

The best paid production occupations in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, 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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA run 10.4% above the national average (2024), so a San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA salary is worth about 0.91× 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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

OccupationMedian, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$108,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$63,150 – $139,050460
2Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers$102,980
Postsecondary nondegree award
$67,320 – $133,080420
3Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$74,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,790 – $98,560360
4Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$64,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,130 – $92,3101,050
5Machinists$63,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,350 – $97,7501,370
6Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$60,610
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,080 – $92,6705,080
7Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$59,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,450 – $79,4302,050
8Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$58,910
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,680 – $92,630510
9Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$58,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,550 – $102,760410
10Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$55,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,940 – $77,4007,320
11Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$52,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,180 – $72,590400
12Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$52,360
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,740 – $76,5805,290
13Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$50,870
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,610 – $64,190600
14Semiconductor Processing Technicians$50,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,420 – $62,8902,130
15Butchers and Meat Cutters$49,610
No formal educational credential
$40,860 – $71,740790
16Production Workers, All Other$49,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,530 – $70,4701,470
17Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,580 – $60,580830
18Helpers--Production Workers$46,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,630 – $62,340670
19Food Batchmakers$45,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,370 – $58,560420
20Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$45,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,140 – $64,8201,260
21Bakers$45,480
No formal educational credential
$38,870 – $62,5401,240
22Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$44,410
No formal educational credential
$40,080 – $53,400810
23Printing Press Operators$44,130
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,440 – $74,100670
24Food Processing Workers, All Other$43,200
No formal educational credential
$37,780 – $50,720420

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

#	Occupation	MedianSan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$108,190	$63,150 – $139,050	460
2	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool ProgrammersPostsecondary nondegree award	$102,980	$67,320 – $133,080	420
3	Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$74,420	$48,790 – $98,560	360
4	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$64,140	$49,130 – $92,310	1,050
5	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,540	$44,350 – $97,750	1,370
6	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,610	$46,080 – $92,670	5,080
7	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,620	$46,450 – $79,430	2,050
8	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,910	$44,680 – $92,630	510
9	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,580	$45,550 – $102,760	410
10	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,230	$40,940 – $77,400	7,320
11	Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,800	$48,180 – $72,590	400
12	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,360	$43,740 – $76,580	5,290
13	Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,870	$40,610 – $64,190	600
14	Semiconductor Processing TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,820	$47,420 – $62,890	2,130
15	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$49,610	$40,860 – $71,740	790
16	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,450	$41,530 – $70,470	1,470
17	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,230	$39,580 – $60,580	830
18	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,170	$42,630 – $62,340	670
19	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,920	$38,370 – $58,560	420
20	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,740	$39,140 – $64,820	1,260
21	BakersNo formal educational credential	$45,480	$38,870 – $62,540	1,240
22	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$44,410	$40,080 – $53,400	810
23	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,130	$38,440 – $74,100	670
24	Food Processing Workers, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$43,200	$37,780 – $50,720	420

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, 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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA with no experience

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