High paying production jobs in Tulsa, OK with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Tulsa, OK 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 Tulsa, OK run 10.8% below the national average (2024), so a Tulsa, OK salary is worth about 1.12× 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 Tulsa, OK

OccupationMedian, Tulsa, OK · Employed

1Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers$107,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$74,880 – $117,990570
2Gas Plant Operators$78,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$53,410 – $97,650270
3Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$58,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$26,880 – $61,680180
4Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$57,880
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,680 – $85,060200
5Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$56,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,710 – $77,9802,880
6Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$54,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,280 – $65,770430
7Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$53,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,960 – $72,7404,520
8Machinists$53,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,020 – $68,3402,000
9Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$50,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,600 – $66,920190
10Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$50,110
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,840 – $68,550700
11Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$49,990
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,110 – $62,200620
12Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,290 – $59,290150
13Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$48,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,020 – $56,670250
14Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,310
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,870 – $60,5701,020
15Production Workers, All Other$46,270
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,540 – $63,010470
16Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,860
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,790 – $59,760960
17Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$45,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,390 – $58,9901,240
18Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$45,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,060 – $58,190820
19Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$44,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,720 – $59,7805,800
20Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$40,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,030 – $46,410820
21Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$39,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,740 – $61,000540
22Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$38,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,340 – $51,020170
23Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders$38,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,830 – $43,690190
24Printing Press Operators$38,700
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,230 – $58,050390
25Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$38,690
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,320 – $57,030270
26Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$38,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,300 – $54,840370
27Helpers--Production Workers$36,810
High school diploma or equivalent
$27,460 – $46,490830
28Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$36,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$28,190 – $53,760310
29Food Batchmakers$36,130
High school diploma or equivalent
$27,060 – $44,420330
30Butchers and Meat Cutters$35,830
No formal educational credential
$26,400 – $45,740440
31Bakers$33,400
No formal educational credential
$23,570 – $37,700590
32Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$28,450
No formal educational credential
$22,230 – $39,250660

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

#	Occupation	MedianTulsa, OK	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and GaugersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$107,170	$74,880 – $117,990	570
2	Gas Plant OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$78,550	$53,410 – $97,650	270
3	Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,210	$26,880 – $61,680	180
4	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,880	$39,680 – $85,060	200
5	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,210	$35,710 – $77,980	2,880
6	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,060	$40,280 – $65,770	430
7	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,550	$39,960 – $72,740	4,520
8	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,260	$37,020 – $68,340	2,000
9	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,530	$34,600 – $66,920	190
10	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,110	$36,840 – $68,550	700
11	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,990	$37,110 – $62,200	620
12	Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,900	$40,290 – $59,290	150
13	Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,000	$38,020 – $56,670	250
14	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,310	$36,870 – $60,570	1,020
15	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,270	$33,540 – $63,010	470
16	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,860	$34,790 – $59,760	960
17	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,820	$34,390 – $58,990	1,240
18	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,520	$35,060 – $58,190	820
19	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,740	$31,720 – $59,780	5,800
20	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,750	$31,030 – $46,410	820
21	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,520	$32,740 – $61,000	540
22	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,840	$33,340 – $51,020	170
23	Food Cooking Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,750	$29,830 – $43,690	190
24	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,700	$28,230 – $58,050	390
25	Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,690	$37,320 – $57,030	270
26	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,570	$29,300 – $54,840	370
27	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,810	$27,460 – $46,490	830
28	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,740	$28,190 – $53,760	310
29	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,130	$27,060 – $44,420	330
30	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$35,830	$26,400 – $45,740	440
31	BakersNo formal educational credential	$33,400	$23,570 – $37,700	590
32	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$28,450	$22,230 – $39,250	660

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Tulsa, OK. 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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Without a degree

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

High paying production jobs in Tulsa, OK with no experience

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Without a degree

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