High paying production jobs in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA run 12.9% below the national average (2024), so a Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA salary is worth about 1.15× 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA

OccupationMedian, Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA · Employed

1Power Plant Operators$76,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$60,010 – $103,06030
2Tool and Die Makers$65,590
Postsecondary nondegree award
$55,980 – $76,830100
3Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$63,890
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,310 – $75,730120
4Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers$60,330
Postsecondary nondegree award
$44,890 – $75,51060
5Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders$60,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$53,130 – $60,06080
6Machinists$58,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,570 – $71,160180
7Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders$56,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,760 – $56,150100
8Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$55,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,380 – $55,590170
9Foundry Mold and Coremakers$54,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,460 – $54,96080
10Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$54,470
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,150 – $62,62050
11Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$51,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,070 – $63,460720
12Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$51,250
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,890 – $63,190660
13Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$51,080
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,300 – $63,950540
14Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$50,400
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,840 – $64,730220
15Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$50,310
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,160 – $61,6801,610
16Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,940 – $59,75070
17Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,430
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,350 – $73,930100
18Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,330
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,090 – $60,110190
19Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,500 – $62,62090
20Helpers--Production Workers$48,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,900 – $50,030420
21Production Workers, All Other$48,300
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,910 – $53,820380
22Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$46,620
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,410 – $60,480270
23Food Batchmakers$44,860
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,510 – $54,080120
24Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$44,080
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,410 – $61,21070
25Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$43,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,100 – $47,780210
26Printing Press Operators$40,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,530 – $57,63090
27Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$38,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,550 – $82,760110
28Butchers and Meat Cutters$37,130
No formal educational credential
$29,120 – $45,060210
29Sewing Machine Operators$34,310
No formal educational credential
$22,790 – $46,22060
30Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$31,200
No formal educational credential
$28,750 – $39,980170
31Print Binding and Finishing Workers$31,030
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,700 – $43,97050
32Bakers$29,870
No formal educational credential
$21,940 – $45,830120

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

#	Occupation	MedianWaterloo-Cedar Falls, IA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Power Plant OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$76,550	$60,010 – $103,060	30
2	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$65,590	$55,980 – $76,830	100
3	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,890	$50,310 – $75,730	120
4	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool ProgrammersPostsecondary nondegree award	$60,330	$44,890 – $75,510	60
5	Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,020	$53,130 – $60,060	80
6	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,100	$45,570 – $71,160	180
7	Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,100	$46,760 – $56,150	100
8	Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,550	$47,380 – $55,590	170
9	Foundry Mold and CoremakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,920	$50,460 – $54,960	80
10	Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,470	$47,150 – $62,620	50
11	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,600	$47,070 – $63,460	720
12	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,250	$37,890 – $63,190	660
13	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,080	$46,300 – $63,950	540
14	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,400	$36,840 – $64,730	220
15	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,310	$40,160 – $61,680	1,610
16	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,600	$37,940 – $59,750	70
17	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,430	$39,350 – $73,930	100
18	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,330	$39,090 – $60,110	190
19	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,180	$40,500 – $62,620	90
20	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,520	$40,900 – $50,030	420
21	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,300	$38,910 – $53,820	380
22	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,620	$38,410 – $60,480	270
23	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,860	$29,510 – $54,080	120
24	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,080	$36,410 – $61,210	70
25	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,040	$40,100 – $47,780	210
26	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,540	$30,530 – $57,630	90
27	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,590	$38,550 – $82,760	110
28	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$37,130	$29,120 – $45,060	210
29	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$34,310	$22,790 – $46,220	60
30	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$31,200	$28,750 – $39,980	170
31	Print Binding and Finishing WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$31,030	$30,700 – $43,970	50
32	BakersNo formal educational credential	$29,870	$21,940 – $45,830	120

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA. 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA with no experience

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