High paying production jobs in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL run 0.9% above the national average (2024), so a Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL salary is worth about 0.99× 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL

OccupationMedian, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL · Employed

1Dental Laboratory Technicians$59,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,140 – $75,590520
2Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$58,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,370 – $86,0701,330
3Machinists$57,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,210 – $72,9101,530
4Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$49,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,890 – $67,3602,520
5Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,810
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,850 – $68,560830
6Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$47,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,870 – $70,5503,760
7Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$46,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,770 – $59,740600
8Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$45,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,390 – $55,300980
9Butchers and Meat Cutters$45,220
No formal educational credential
$34,170 – $49,2001,320
10Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$44,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,580 – $70,230900
11Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$43,030
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,960 – $60,390500
12Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators$40,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,850 – $51,700450
13Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$39,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,790 – $48,380750
14Helpers--Production Workers$38,760
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,970 – $49,200700
15Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$38,490
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,120 – $55,9702,390
16Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$38,270
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,630 – $61,050630
17Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$38,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,230 – $53,5402,520
18Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$37,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,490 – $51,0107,060
19Printing Press Operators$37,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,270 – $58,6101,510
20Production Workers, All Other$36,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,620 – $57,6402,220
21Food Batchmakers$36,500
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,200 – $52,410480
22Bakers$35,410
No formal educational credential
$27,790 – $44,4301,720
23Sewing Machine Operators$35,320
No formal educational credential
$27,180 – $45,770770
24Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$31,880
No formal educational credential
$29,540 – $36,5401,880

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

#	Occupation	MedianTampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Dental Laboratory TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,920	$37,140 – $75,590	520
2	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,590	$41,370 – $86,070	1,330
3	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,160	$42,210 – $72,910	1,530
4	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,930	$39,890 – $67,360	2,520
5	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,810	$35,850 – $68,560	830
6	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,180	$33,870 – $70,550	3,760
7	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,000	$34,770 – $59,740	600
8	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,570	$36,390 – $55,300	980
9	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$45,220	$34,170 – $49,200	1,320
10	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,560	$29,580 – $70,230	900
11	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,030	$35,960 – $60,390	500
12	Fiberglass Laminators and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,750	$36,850 – $51,700	450
13	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,220	$35,790 – $48,380	750
14	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,760	$30,970 – $49,200	700
15	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,490	$30,120 – $55,970	2,390
16	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,270	$31,630 – $61,050	630
17	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,070	$29,230 – $53,540	2,520
18	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,930	$30,490 – $51,010	7,060
19	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,750	$31,270 – $58,610	1,510
20	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,790	$28,620 – $57,640	2,220
21	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,500	$30,200 – $52,410	480
22	BakersNo formal educational credential	$35,410	$27,790 – $44,430	1,720
23	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$35,320	$27,180 – $45,770	770
24	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$31,880	$29,540 – $36,540	1,880

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL. 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL with no experience

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