High paying production jobs in Terre Haute, IN with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Terre Haute, IN 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 Terre Haute, IN run 12.2% below the national average (2024), so a Terre Haute, IN 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 Terre Haute, IN

OccupationMedian, Terre Haute, IN · Employed

1Power Plant Operators$103,030
High school diploma or equivalent
$74,140 – $103,04080
2Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$65,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,320 – $78,89040
3Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$59,080
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,650 – $59,080170
4Machinists$54,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,680 – $65,880240
5Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$54,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,350 – $65,360260
6Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$53,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,240 – $61,47090
7Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$52,510
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,970 – $63,800130
8Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,880
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,730 – $61,12040
9Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$47,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,400 – $59,59030
10Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$46,780
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,990 – $67,030500
11Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$46,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,470 – $64,970230
12Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,650 – $48,39060
13Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$46,090
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,780 – $67,460350
14Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$45,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,370 – $57,94080
15Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$45,630
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,530 – $59,350130
16Printing Press Operators$45,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,000 – $59,110340
17Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$45,030
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,520 – $75,98060
18Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$44,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,100 – $58,490230
19Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$44,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,410 – $58,350160
20Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$43,880
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,800 – $58,41060
21Helpers--Production Workers$43,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$27,380 – $46,24050
22Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$43,310
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,960 – $56,620250
23Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$39,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$27,700 – $85,8301,040
24Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$38,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,480 – $57,26060
25Sewing Machine Operators$36,250
No formal educational credential
$15,570 – $45,98040
26Butchers and Meat Cutters$35,780
No formal educational credential
$30,220 – $49,26040
27Bakers$34,090
No formal educational credential
$20,570 – $42,06040
28Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$29,400
No formal educational credential
$22,820 – $38,73090

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

#	Occupation	MedianTerre Haute, IN	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Power Plant OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$103,030	$74,140 – $103,040	80
2	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$65,110	$35,320 – $78,890	40
3	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,080	$43,650 – $59,080	170
4	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,160	$38,680 – $65,880	240
5	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,050	$42,350 – $65,360	260
6	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,180	$36,240 – $61,470	90
7	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,510	$36,970 – $63,800	130
8	Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,880	$36,730 – $61,120	40
9	Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,600	$40,400 – $59,590	30
10	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,780	$34,990 – $67,030	500
11	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,660	$35,470 – $64,970	230
12	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,370	$38,650 – $48,390	60
13	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,090	$37,780 – $67,460	350
14	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,790	$38,370 – $57,940	80
15	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,630	$35,530 – $59,350	130
16	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,150	$34,000 – $59,110	340
17	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,030	$36,520 – $75,980	60
18	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,820	$36,100 – $58,490	230
19	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,820	$37,410 – $58,350	160
20	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,880	$29,800 – $58,410	60
21	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,430	$27,380 – $46,240	50
22	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,310	$30,960 – $56,620	250
23	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,680	$27,700 – $85,830	1,040
24	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,650	$29,480 – $57,260	60
25	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$36,250	$15,570 – $45,980	40
26	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$35,780	$30,220 – $49,260	40
27	BakersNo formal educational credential	$34,090	$20,570 – $42,060	40
28	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$29,400	$22,820 – $38,730	90

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Terre Haute, IN. 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 Terre Haute, IN to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Terre Haute, IN with no experience

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