High paying production jobs in Trenton-Princeton, NJ with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Trenton-Princeton, NJ 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 Trenton-Princeton, NJ run 3.2% above the national average (2024), so a Trenton-Princeton, NJ salary is worth about 0.97× 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 Trenton-Princeton, NJ

OccupationMedian, Trenton-Princeton, NJ · Employed

1Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators$76,510
High school diploma or equivalent
$60,490 – $110,850110
2Machinists$71,290
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,200 – $114,400120
3Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$63,130
High school diploma or equivalent
$53,330 – $82,940150
4Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$58,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,760 – $77,94080
5Printing Press Operators$55,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,780 – $76,640180
6Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$55,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,170 – $71,130200
7Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$54,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,530 – $82,880180
8Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$48,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,960 – $87,420570
9Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$47,490
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,510 – $66,860260
10Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$39,320
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,220 – $77,230520
11Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$39,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,750 – $55,36090
12Bakers$37,770
No formal educational credential
$32,220 – $51,110300
13Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$37,700
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,220 – $57,380150
14Butchers and Meat Cutters$36,190
No formal educational credential
$32,220 – $63,530160
15Sewing Machine Operators$36,150
No formal educational credential
$32,220 – $45,150170
16Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$36,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,220 – $46,5801,740
17Helpers--Production Workers$35,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,220 – $58,540150
18Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$34,860
No formal educational credential
$32,220 – $43,060260
19Production Workers, All Other$34,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,440 – $47,770200
20Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$32,690
No formal educational credential
$32,420 – $55,62080

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

#	Occupation	MedianTrenton-Princeton, NJ	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Stationary Engineers and Boiler OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$76,510	$60,490 – $110,850	110
2	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$71,290	$46,200 – $114,400	120
3	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,130	$53,330 – $82,940	150
4	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,240	$43,760 – $77,940	80
5	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,920	$37,780 – $76,640	180
6	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,230	$34,170 – $71,130	200
7	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,640	$45,530 – $82,880	180
8	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,990	$33,960 – $87,420	570
9	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,490	$35,510 – $66,860	260
10	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,320	$32,220 – $77,230	520
11	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,000	$37,750 – $55,360	90
12	BakersNo formal educational credential	$37,770	$32,220 – $51,110	300
13	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,700	$32,220 – $57,380	150
14	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$36,190	$32,220 – $63,530	160
15	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$36,150	$32,220 – $45,150	170
16	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,000	$32,220 – $46,580	1,740
17	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,350	$32,220 – $58,540	150
18	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$34,860	$32,220 – $43,060	260
19	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$34,440	$34,440 – $47,770	200
20	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersNo formal educational credential	$32,690	$32,420 – $55,620	80

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Trenton-Princeton, NJ. 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.

More for Trenton-Princeton, NJ

Other metro areas in NJ

By field in Trenton-Princeton, NJ

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Trenton-Princeton, NJ to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Trenton-Princeton, NJ with no experience

More for Trenton-Princeton, NJ

Other metro areas in NJ

By field in Trenton-Princeton, NJ

Without a degree

High paying production jobs in each state with no experience