High paying production jobs in Sioux Falls, SD-MN with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Sioux Falls, SD-MN 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 Sioux Falls, SD-MN run 9.4% below the national average (2024), so a Sioux Falls, SD-MN salary is worth about 1.10× 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 Sioux Falls, SD-MN

OccupationMedian, Sioux Falls, SD-MN · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$60,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,580 – $76,810170
2Plant and System Operators, All Other$60,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,020 – $71,55060
3Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$59,270
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,000 – $63,560110
4Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$55,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,140 – $80,120850
5Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$52,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,400 – $64,300460
6Machinists$52,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,040 – $64,940160
7Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$49,310
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,760 – $62,13080
8Printing Press Operators$47,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,860 – $64,700200
9Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,060 – $52,880160
10Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,750 – $65,730400
11Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$45,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,780 – $57,820300
12Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$44,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,660 – $58,460120
13Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$44,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,930 – $60,080470
14Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$44,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,390 – $59,980500
15Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$44,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,560 – $56,850180
16Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$44,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,180 – $47,880330
17Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$44,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,980 – $58,1301,360
18Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$43,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,420 – $58,180330
19Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$43,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,510 – $47,110150
20Print Binding and Finishing Workers$41,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,960 – $50,22070
21Bakers$40,280
No formal educational credential
$29,580 – $52,740150
22Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$38,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,730 – $47,950290
23Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$38,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,920 – $55,30080
24Sewing Machine Operators$38,610
No formal educational credential
$28,350 – $52,80070
25Butchers and Meat Cutters$38,490
No formal educational credential
$34,320 – $54,700160
26Food Batchmakers$37,270
High school diploma or equivalent
$27,080 – $44,700230
27Furniture Finishers$35,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,290 – $49,89070
28Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$33,970
No formal educational credential
$28,860 – $48,440210

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

#	Occupation	MedianSioux Falls, SD-MN	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,980	$46,580 – $76,810	170
2	Plant and System Operators, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,650	$45,020 – $71,550	60
3	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,270	$49,000 – $63,560	110
4	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,200	$40,140 – $80,120	850
5	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,220	$42,400 – $64,300	460
6	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,000	$43,040 – $64,940	160
7	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,310	$45,760 – $62,130	80
8	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,320	$34,860 – $64,700	200
9	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,020	$30,060 – $52,880	160
10	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,590	$37,750 – $65,730	400
11	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,950	$36,780 – $57,820	300
12	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,980	$42,660 – $58,460	120
13	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,770	$35,930 – $60,080	470
14	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,670	$38,390 – $59,980	500
15	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,550	$40,560 – $56,850	180
16	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,350	$35,180 – $47,880	330
17	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,190	$36,980 – $58,130	1,360
18	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,920	$34,420 – $58,180	330
19	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,140	$36,510 – $47,110	150
20	Print Binding and Finishing WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,350	$37,960 – $50,220	70
21	BakersNo formal educational credential	$40,280	$29,580 – $52,740	150
22	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,800	$37,730 – $47,950	290
23	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,740	$33,920 – $55,300	80
24	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$38,610	$28,350 – $52,800	70
25	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$38,490	$34,320 – $54,700	160
26	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,270	$27,080 – $44,700	230
27	Furniture FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,850	$31,290 – $49,890	70
28	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$33,970	$28,860 – $48,440	210

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Sioux Falls, SD-MN. 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 Sioux Falls, SD-MN to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Sioux Falls, SD-MN with no experience

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