How much does a production associate make?

The average production associate salary in the United States is $32,439. Production associate salaries typically range between $25,000 and $40,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for production associates is $15.6 per hour. Production associate salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Production associates earn the highest average salary in Alaska.

Production associate salary

Q: What state pays Production Associates the most?

Alaska pays Production Associates the most in the United States, with an average salary of $38,515 per year, or $18.52 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a production associate?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a production associate if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Wyoming you should be paid close to $37,205 per year.

Q: What is a good starting salary for a Production Associate?

A good starting salary for a production associate is $24,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a production associate in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for production associates is $30,924, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a production associate can vary by state.

Q: How much do Tesla production associates make?

Tesla production associates make $43,680 a year ($21 per hour). This can range from as little as $11 to as high as $33 per hour. This is 45% above the national average for production associates.

Q: How much do production associates make?

Production associates make $27,300 per year, on average ($14 per hour). The range, however, can start as low as $23,400 per year to as high as $34,698 per year. Factors such as location and company types can impact how much a production associate can make.

Q: How much does an associate make a year?

An associate makes around $27,300 per year ($14 per hour). The range, however, can start as low as $23,400 per year to as high as $64,698 per year. Factors such as years of experience, type of company, and location can all impact how much an associate can make.

Average production associate salary

$15.6

$32,439 yearly

Entry-level production associate salary

$25,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Average Salary Overview

The average salary for a Production Associate stands at approximately $32,439 per year. This figure may vary based on several factors, including experience level, geographic location, and the specific industry in which one works. For example, entry-level positions typically start around $28,000, while those with several years of experience can earn significantly more.

Salary by State

Production Associates in states like Washington and California often see higher salaries compared to their counterparts in other regions. For instance, the average salary in Washington may reach $36,000, while in California it can go as high as $34,500. Understanding local salary trends can assist candidates in negotiating offers more effectively.

Opportunities for Advancement

In addition to competitive salaries, there are numerous opportunities for career growth within this field. As production associates gain experience, they can progress to senior roles or specialized positions, further increasing their earning potential. Networking and obtaining relevant certifications can also provide significant advantages.

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Production associate salary by:

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Where can a Production Associate earn more?

Compare salary by location

61k

41k

21k

Columbus, OH$36,828

Kansas City, MO$31,468

Compare salary by company

68k

48k

28k

Bunge$40,715

US Foods$37,952

Production associate salaries by experience level

Production associate salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Comparably, the average salary for a production associate typically falls between $32,439 and $45,500.

zippia

$32,439yearly

glassdoor[1]

$40,120yearly

indeed[2]

$36,042yearly

comparably[3]

$40,876yearly

Salary.com[4]

$45,500yearly

ZipRecruiter[5]

$35,103yearly

Average production associate salary by state

The highest-paying states for production associates are Alaska, Wyoming, and North Dakota. The lowest average production associate salary states are Delaware, North Carolina, and New Mexico.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for production associates

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Wisconsin	$34,825	$16.74
2	Iowa	$33,354	$16.04
3	Ohio	$33,367	$16.04
4	North Dakota	$36,813	$17.70
5	Nevada	$35,509	$17.07
6	Kentucky	$32,899	$15.82
7	Nebraska	$33,565	$16.14
8	Minnesota	$34,240	$16.46
9	Wyoming	$37,205	$17.89
10	Washington	$36,741	$17.66
11	New Hampshire	$33,446	$16.08
12	Oregon	$35,267	$16.96
13	Alaska	$38,515	$18.52
14	Utah	$32,760	$15.75
15	Indiana	$32,069	$15.42
16	Michigan	$32,360	$15.56
17	South Dakota	$32,470	$15.61
18	Tennessee	$31,617	$15.20
19	Pennsylvania	$31,684	$15.23
20	California	$35,047	$16.85
21	Arizona	$32,964	$15.85
22	Louisiana	$33,450	$16.08
23	Illinois	$32,219	$15.49
24	New York	$34,558	$16.61
25	Idaho	$32,681	$15.71
26	Mississippi	$31,254	$15.03
27	Vermont	$31,460	$15.13
28	Colorado	$33,299	$16.01
29	Hawaii	$36,583	$17.59
30	Missouri	$31,273	$15.04
31	Oklahoma	$31,867	$15.32
32	District of Columbia	$35,265	$16.95
33	Kansas	$30,653	$14.74
34	Connecticut	$31,996	$15.38
35	Massachusetts	$32,179	$15.47
36	Maine	$29,779	$14.32
37	Texas	$31,142	$14.97
38	West Virginia	$30,562	$14.69
39	South Carolina	$30,391	$14.61
40	Georgia	$29,703	$14.28
41	Montana	$30,491	$14.66
42	Arkansas	$30,145	$14.49
43	North Carolina	$28,924	$13.91
44	Maryland	$30,937	$14.87
45	Alabama	$27,588	$13.26
46	Virginia	$29,806	$14.33
47	Delaware	$29,598	$14.23
48	Rhode Island	$27,073	$13.02
49	New Jersey	$29,859	$14.36
50	New Mexico	$28,186	$13.55
51	Florida	$27,456	$13.20

Top production associate jobs near you

Highest paying cities for production associates

The highest-paying cities for production associates are Seattle, WA, Fargo, ND, and Reno, NV.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Seattle, WA	$36,828	$17.71
2	Fargo, ND	$36,743	$17.66
3	Reno, NV	$36,231	$17.42
4	Fremont, CA	$35,530	$17.08
5	Green Bay, WI	$35,396	$17.02
6	Portland, OR	$35,335	$16.99
7	New York, NY	$34,462	$16.57
8	Saint Cloud, MN	$34,453	$16.56
9	Bowling Green, OH	$33,695	$16.20
10	Fremont, NE	$33,584	$16.15
11	Denver, CO	$33,321	$16.02
12	Phoenix, AZ	$33,009	$15.87
13	Salt Lake City, UT	$32,790	$15.76
14	Bowling Green, KY	$32,638	$15.69
15	Grand Rapids, MI	$32,514	$15.63
16	Springfield, MA	$32,344	$15.55
17	Fort Wayne, IN	$32,326	$15.54
18	Chicago, IL	$32,237	$15.50
19	Memphis, TN	$31,795	$15.29
20	Kansas City, MO	$31,468	$15.13

Production Associates are the most in-demand in these five cities:

Production associate salary details

A production associate's salary ranges from $25,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $40,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average production associate salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a production associate's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$40,000	$3,333	$19
75th Percentile	$36,000	$3,000	$17
Average	$32,439	$2,703	$16
25th Percentile	$28,000	$2,333	$13
10th Percentile	$25,000	$2,083	$12

Highest paying production associate jobs

The highest paying types of production associates are production coordinator, production leader, and production specialist.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Line Operator	$34,520	$2,877	$16.60	137,127
Manufacturing Operator	$34,457	$2,871	$16.57	97,656
Production Team Member	$28,768	$2,397	$13.83	228,024
Production Line Worker	$28,844	$2,404	$13.87	123,921
Production Internship	$33,066	$2,755	$15.90	98,437
Production Line Operator	$33,261	$2,772	$15.99	155,014

Top companies hiring production associates now:

Which companies pay production associates the most?

Production associate salaries at Bunge and American Woodmark are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average production associate salary at companies like University of California, Berkeley and Commercial Metals are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Bunge	$40,715	$19.57
2	American Woodmark	$39,755	$19.11
3	University of California-Berkeley	$39,633	$19.05
4	Commercial Metals	$39,519	$19.00
5	Olympic Steel	$39,158	$18.83
6	The Clorox Company	$38,859	$18.68
7	General Electric	$38,811	$18.66
8	Armstrong World Industries	$38,659	$18.59
9	SenesTech	$38,444	$18.48
10	Koch Foods	$38,418	$18.47
11	Qep	$38,401	$18.46
12	Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc	$38,324	$18.43
13	Owens Corning	$38,255	$18.39
14	PPG	$38,227	$18.38
15	Reynolds American	$38,207	$18.37
16	Heinen's Grocery Store	$38,164	$18.35
17	Land O'Lakes	$38,158	$18.35
18	Schreiber Foods	$38,061	$18.30
19	Reckitt Benckiser	$38,007	$18.27
20	US Foods	$37,952	$18.25

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$34,000$33,600$33,200$32,800$32,400$32,000

MaleFemale

Production associate salary trends

The average production associate salary has risen by $8,487 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average production associate earned $23,952 annually, but today, they earn $32,439 a year. That works out to a 23% change in pay for production associates over the last decade.

Compare production associate salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average production associate salary over time

Compare production associate salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Production associate salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$32,400	$15.60	+4.6%
2024	$30,900	$14.88	+4.7%
2023	$29,500	$14.18	+6.0%
2022	$27,700	$13.33	+4.8%
2021	$26,400	$12.70	+3.5%

Recently added production associate salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Ardent Mills	Production Associate-Elevator Operator	Ogden, UT	06/30/2025	$44,871
Clarios	Production Associate/Assembler	Fort Wayne, IN	06/30/2025	$40,843
Schluter Systems L.P	Production Associate I-UMS Secondary Operations Shift: 2Nd PM PM)	Plattsburgh, NY	06/30/2025	$38,610
Ppg Architectural Finishes	Production Associate	Huntsville, AL	06/29/2025	$48,961
Rr Donnelley	Hybrid Legal Document Production Associate (Multiple Shifts Available)	Wheeling, WV	06/29/2025	$34,373
Bsn Sports	Seasonal Production Associate 2Nd Shift	Indianapolis, IN	06/29/2025	$37,566
Latham Pool	Production Associate 2Nd Shift	Youngstown, OH	06/29/2025	$37,190
Latham Pool	Production Associate II	Albany, NY	06/29/2025	$45,914
Menasha	Production Associate-3Rd Shift	Lakeville, MN	06/29/2025	$44,203
Palziv North America Inc.	Production Associate-DAY Shift 6AM-6PM	Louisburg, NC	06/29/2025	$33,392

Production associate salary FAQs

What state pays Production Associates the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a production associate?

What is a good starting salary for a Production Associate?

How much do Tesla production associates make?

How much do production associates make?

How much does an associate make a year?

Have more questions? See all answers to common production and manufacturing questions.

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Updated December 15, 2025

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