High paying production jobs in Wausau, WI with no experience

The best paid production occupations in Wausau, WI 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 Wausau, WI run 7.3% below the national average (2024), so a Wausau, WI salary is worth about 1.08× 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 Wausau, WI

OccupationMedian, Wausau, WI · Employed

1Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$69,080
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,190 – $80,020190
2Tool and Die Makers$63,570
Postsecondary nondegree award
$47,170 – $77,13060
3Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$61,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,560 – $80,870430
4Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$59,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,670 – $72,72050
5Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers$59,160
Postsecondary nondegree award
$48,660 – $73,02040
6Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$58,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,930 – $64,10080
7Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$57,330
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,200 – $70,720190
8Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$55,780
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,130 – $64,840930
9Machinists$53,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,600 – $71,510360
10Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$52,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,890 – $59,52030
11Printing Press Operators$50,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,240 – $61,480120
12Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$50,250
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,440 – $68,620630
13Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$49,890
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,350 – $66,27070
14Helpers--Production Workers$48,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,440 – $63,64070
15Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,750 – $57,57060
16Food Batchmakers$48,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,320 – $57,5101,090
17Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,030 – $64,560360
18Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,470
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,190 – $58,560350
19Production Workers, All Other$46,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,330 – $63,770120
20Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$46,120
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,010 – $62,59040
21Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$46,030
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,430 – $57,510620
22Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$45,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,560 – $56,1102,110
23Butchers and Meat Cutters$45,530
No formal educational credential
$30,310 – $51,32070
24Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$45,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,880 – $49,880110
25Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$45,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,920 – $54,270190
26Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$45,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,700 – $60,130100
27Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$43,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,160 – $52,360250
28Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$40,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,580 – $49,570160
29Sewing Machine Operators$39,110
No formal educational credential
$31,330 – $45,81030
30Print Binding and Finishing Workers$37,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,290 – $56,36030
31Bakers$35,380
No formal educational credential
$30,050 – $44,03070
32Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$34,040
No formal educational credential
$28,850 – $39,07050

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

#	Occupation	MedianWausau, WI	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$69,080	$48,190 – $80,020	190
2	Tool and Die MakersPostsecondary nondegree award	$63,570	$47,170 – $77,130	60
3	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,070	$49,560 – $80,870	430
4	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,730	$49,670 – $72,720	50
5	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool ProgrammersPostsecondary nondegree award	$59,160	$48,660 – $73,020	40
6	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,220	$48,930 – $64,100	80
7	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,330	$47,200 – $70,720	190
8	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,780	$48,130 – $64,840	930
9	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,680	$40,600 – $71,510	360
10	Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,670	$46,890 – $59,520	30
11	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,650	$37,240 – $61,480	120
12	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,250	$37,440 – $68,620	630
13	Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,890	$39,350 – $66,270	70
14	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,790	$33,440 – $63,640	70
15	Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,660	$39,750 – $57,570	60
16	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,560	$37,320 – $57,510	1,090
17	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,370	$41,030 – $64,560	360
18	Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,470	$39,190 – $58,560	350
19	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,180	$33,330 – $63,770	120
20	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,120	$39,010 – $62,590	40
21	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,030	$37,430 – $57,510	620
22	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,670	$37,560 – $56,110	2,110
23	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$45,530	$30,310 – $51,320	70
24	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,200	$35,880 – $49,880	110
25	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,100	$38,920 – $54,270	190
26	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,100	$37,700 – $60,130	100
27	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,640	$35,160 – $52,360	250
28	Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,580	$40,580 – $49,570	160
29	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$39,110	$31,330 – $45,810	30
30	Print Binding and Finishing WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,580	$32,290 – $56,360	30
31	BakersNo formal educational credential	$35,380	$30,050 – $44,030	70
32	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$34,040	$28,850 – $39,070	50

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Wausau, WI. 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 Wausau, WI to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Wausau, WI with no experience

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