High paying production jobs in St. Cloud, MN with no experience

The best paid production occupations in St. Cloud, 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 St. Cloud, MN run 12.4% below the national average (2024), so a St. Cloud, MN salary is worth about 1.14× 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 St. Cloud, MN

OccupationMedian, St. Cloud, MN · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$74,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$60,090 – $77,910100
2Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators$73,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$54,560 – $82,27060
3Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers$67,050
Postsecondary nondegree award
$52,540 – $83,61050
4Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$62,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,510 – $80,540620
5Machinists$62,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,280 – $77,340460
6Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$60,460
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,670 – $73,250110
7Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$58,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,800 – $60,320140
8Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$57,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,990 – $73,420190
9Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$57,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,310 – $62,67050
10Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$57,090
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,670 – $61,190140
11Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$56,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,000 – $67,820190
12Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$52,330
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,950 – $61,5501,620
13Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$51,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,050 – $62,94060
14Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,680 – $65,83080
15Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$50,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,780 – $72,440360
16Dental Laboratory Technicians$49,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,720 – $70,95050
17Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$49,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,400 – $59,87040
18Printing Press Operators$49,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,170 – $71,120170
19Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,320 – $61,850160
20Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders$48,370
No formal educational credential
$36,050 – $65,78070
21Furniture Finishers$48,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,070 – $68,64040
22Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders$47,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,190 – $47,83040
23Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,200 – $60,010100
24Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$46,270
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,090 – $59,460290
25Print Binding and Finishing Workers$45,410
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,700 – $60,60070
26Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,860 – $55,26050
27Production Workers, All Other$45,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,560 – $56,41050
28Butchers and Meat Cutters$42,850
No formal educational credential
$28,840 – $57,49070
29Helpers--Production Workers$42,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,990 – $53,880110
30Food Batchmakers$40,780
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,620 – $58,170270
31Bakers$40,280
No formal educational credential
$30,610 – $51,200180
32Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$39,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,110 – $49,570460
33Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians$39,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,020 – $49,080520
34Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$38,650
No formal educational credential
$36,520 – $44,740200
35Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$36,790
No formal educational credential
$33,640 – $45,380210

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

#	Occupation	MedianSt. Cloud, MN	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$74,670	$60,090 – $77,910	100
2	Stationary Engineers and Boiler OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$73,930	$54,560 – $82,270	60
3	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool ProgrammersPostsecondary nondegree award	$67,050	$52,540 – $83,610	50
4	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,820	$48,510 – $80,540	620
5	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,230	$48,280 – $77,340	460
6	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,460	$45,670 – $73,250	110
7	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,450	$46,800 – $60,320	140
8	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,980	$42,990 – $73,420	190
9	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,110	$43,310 – $62,670	50
10	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,090	$40,670 – $61,190	140
11	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,380	$44,000 – $67,820	190
12	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,330	$37,950 – $61,550	1,620
13	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,060	$40,050 – $62,940	60
14	Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,850	$43,680 – $65,830	80
15	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,450	$41,780 – $72,440	360
16	Dental Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,800	$36,720 – $70,950	50
17	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,790	$38,400 – $59,870	40
18	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,220	$37,170 – $71,120	170
19	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,370	$47,320 – $61,850	160
20	Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and TendersNo formal educational credential	$48,370	$36,050 – $65,780	70
21	Furniture FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,140	$39,070 – $68,640	40
22	Food Cooking Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,380	$43,190 – $47,830	40
23	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,070	$40,200 – $60,010	100
24	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,270	$38,090 – $59,460	290
25	Print Binding and Finishing WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,410	$37,700 – $60,600	70
26	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,220	$35,860 – $55,260	50
27	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,100	$28,560 – $56,410	50
28	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$42,850	$28,840 – $57,490	70
29	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,620	$34,990 – $53,880	110
30	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,780	$30,620 – $58,170	270
31	BakersNo formal educational credential	$40,280	$30,610 – $51,200	180
32	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,620	$35,110 – $49,570	460
33	Ophthalmic Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,370	$34,020 – $49,080	520
34	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$38,650	$36,520 – $44,740	200
35	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$36,790	$33,640 – $45,380	210

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in St. Cloud, 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 St. Cloud, MN to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in St. Cloud, MN with no experience

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