Career field
Production & Manufacturing careers
Occupations that operate machinery and produce goods. CampusPin lists 105 production & manufacturing occupations, with median pay ranging from $33,760 to $122,610 per year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024). Median pay is occupation-wide, not a starting wage or a guarantee.
Occupations in this field
- Nuclear power reactor operators$122,610
- Power distributors and dispatchers$107,240
- Power plant operators$99,670
- Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers$97,540
- Gas plant operators$83,400
- Stationary engineers and boiler operators$75,190
- Chemical plant and system operators$73,540
- First-line supervisors of production and operating workers$71,190
- Fabric and apparel patternmakers$67,670
- Computer numerically controlled tool programmers$65,670
- Tool and die makers$63,180
- Model makers, metal and plastic$62,700
- Layout workers, metal and plastic$61,870
- Plant and system operators, all other$61,710
- Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers$61,680
- Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators$58,260
- Chemical equipment operators and tenders$57,090
- Machinists$56,150
- Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders$55,770
- Tire builders$55,580
- Patternmakers, metal and plastic$54,540
- Engine and other machine assemblers$52,540
- Patternmakers, wood$52,520
- Model makers, wood$51,850
- Semiconductor processing technicians$51,180
- Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers$51,000
- Computer numerically controlled tool operators$49,970
- Structural metal fabricators and fitters$49,900
- Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders$49,500
- Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders$49,390
- Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic$49,240
- Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers$49,140
- Tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners$48,970
- Pourers and casters, metal$48,940
- Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic$48,630
- Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic$48,620
- Dental laboratory technicians$48,310
- Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic$48,310
- Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders$47,680
- Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders$47,590
- Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers$47,460
- Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic$47,450
- Prepress technicians and workers$47,300
- Coil winders, tapers, and finishers$47,260
- Medical appliance technicians$47,060
- Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders$47,060
- Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders$47,010
- Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic$46,980
- Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders$46,890
- Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic$46,630
- Upholsterers$46,190
- Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic$46,060
- Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters$46,020
- Fiberglass laminators and fabricators$45,760
- Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders$45,700
- Foundry mold and coremakers$45,700
- Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic$45,690
- Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic$45,590
- Adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders$45,210
- Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic$45,190
- Printing press operators$45,160
- Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders$45,130
- Extruding and forming machine setters, operators, and tenders, synthetic and glass fibers$44,980
- Electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers, except coil winders, tapers, and finishers$44,040
- Metal workers and plastic workers, all other$42,750
- Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders$42,730
- Furniture finishers$42,530
- Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators$42,210
- Grinding and polishing workers, hand$41,690
- Plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic$41,600
- Cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders$41,460
- Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic$41,230
- Woodworkers, all other$41,220
- Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders$40,900
- Painting, coating, and decorating workers$40,860
- Tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers$40,860
- Food batchmakers$40,790
- Timing device assemblers and adjusters$40,790
- Food cooking machine operators and tenders$40,550
- Etchers and engravers$40,450
- Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing$40,440
- Cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders$40,160
- Photographic process workers and processing machine operators$40,100
- Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood$39,950
- Print binding and finishing workers$39,820
- Slaughterers and meat packers$39,790
- Butchers and meat cutters$38,960
- Production workers, all other$38,820
- Cutters and trimmers, hand$38,800
- Food processing workers, all other$38,420
- Ophthalmic laboratory technicians$38,420
- Textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders$38,260
- Helpers--production workers$38,220
- Shoe machine operators and tenders$38,160
- Textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders$37,940
- Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers$37,700
- Textile winding, twisting, and drawing out machine setters, operators, and tenders$37,660
- Textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders$37,320
- Textile, apparel, and furnishings workers, all other$37,010
- Bakers$36,650
- Sewing machine operators$36,000
- Shoe and leather workers and repairers$35,950
- Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials$33,880
- Laundry and dry-cleaning workers$33,800
- Sewers, hand$33,760
Occupation data is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (Employment Projections); wages are 2024 and projections cover 2024–2034. Figures are national, not institution-specific, and projections are estimates, not guarantees.