How much does a production worker make?

The average production worker salary in the United States is $30,847. Production worker salaries typically range between $24,000 and $38,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for production workers is $14.83 per hour. Production worker salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Production workers earn the highest average salary in Washington.

Production worker salary

Q: What state pays Production Workers the most?

Washington pays Production Workers the most in the United States, with an average salary of $36,291 per year, or $17.45 per hour.

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

You know if you are being paid fairly as a production worker if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in North Dakota you should be paid close to $35,153 per year.

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

A good starting salary for a production worker is $23,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a production worker in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for production workers is $30,049, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a production worker can vary by state.

Q: How much do manufacturing people make?

Manufacturing people make $12.78 hourly ($26,000 yearly). The range in pay for manufacturing positions is between $22,000 to $31,000 a year, and factors such as location and industry type impact where someone in manufacturing falls on this pay scale.

Q: How much do production line workers make?

Production line workers make an average of $25,000 a year. This entry-level factory work position has a salary range of around $16,000 to $33,000 a year. This position tends to have a lower pay range because this entry-level position only requires a person to have a high school diploma or its equivalent. In order to earn more money, a person should seek higher-level jobs either through additional education or by developing experience.

Q: How much does an average production worker make a year?

The average production worker's salary is just under $27,000 per year. This is equivalent to about $13 per hour. However, those in the bottom percentile typically only make around $20,000, while the upward variance is about $32,000 annually.

Q: What is the average manufacturing wage?

The average manufacturing wage is about $13 an hour. This is equivalent to about $27,000 in annual salary. However, those in the bottom percentile typically only make around $20,000, while the upward variance is about $32,000 annually.

Average production worker salary

$14.83

$30,847 yearly

Entry-level production worker salary

$24,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Average Production Worker Salary

The average salary for a production worker in the United States is approximately $30,847 annually, or around $15 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly depending on factors such as location, experience level, and specific industries. For instance, production workers in sectors like manufacturing and food processing may see different pay scales.

Salary by Experience Level

Entry-level production workers typically earn around $14.83 per hour, while those with more experience can make over $20 per hour. This difference underscores the value of gaining experience in the field.

Highest Paying States

States like Washington, California, and Oregon offer some of the highest salaries for production workers, reflecting the demand for skilled labor in these areas. For job seekers, focusing on these locations may lead to better pay opportunities.

Conclusion

For those considering a career as a production worker, understanding the salary landscape can guide your career choices. With varying pay scales across different states and industries, there are significant opportunities for growth and increased earnings.

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Production worker salary by:

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Where can a Production Worker earn more?

Compare salary by location

59k

39k

19k

-1k

Columbus, OH$36,503

Columbia, SC$28,887

Compare salary by company

68k

48k

28k

BD$41,598

Seneca Foods$38,158

Production worker salaries by experience level

Experience level	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
Entry-level production worker	$21,900	$10.54
Mid-level production worker	$24,200	$11.64
Senior-level production worker	$36,500	$17.55

Production worker salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor and Ziprecruiter, the average salary for a production worker typically falls between $30,847 and $57,052.

zippia

$30,847yearly

glassdoor[1]

$37,853yearly

indeed[2]

$34,957yearly

Salary.com[3]

$57,052yearly

ZipRecruiter[4]

$34,665yearly

Average production worker salary by state

The highest-paying states for production workers are Washington, North Dakota, and Massachusetts. The lowest average production worker salary states are Oklahoma, Delaware, and Georgia.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for production workers

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New Hampshire	$33,483	$16.10
2	Ohio	$32,143	$15.45
3	Washington	$36,291	$17.45
4	Vermont	$34,965	$16.81
5	Missouri	$32,554	$15.65
6	North Dakota	$35,153	$16.90
7	Connecticut	$34,405	$16.54
8	Oregon	$33,699	$16.20
9	Minnesota	$33,220	$15.97
10	Indiana	$31,307	$15.05
11	Nevada	$33,554	$16.13
12	Maine	$33,341	$16.03
13	Wisconsin	$31,144	$14.97
14	Massachusetts	$35,014	$16.83
15	Iowa	$30,875	$14.84
16	New Mexico	$32,333	$15.54
17	South Dakota	$30,320	$14.58
18	Idaho	$31,822	$15.30
19	Nebraska	$30,165	$14.50
20	Colorado	$32,684	$15.71
21	California	$32,843	$15.79
22	Illinois	$32,163	$15.46
23	Pennsylvania	$30,165	$14.50
24	New York	$33,288	$16.00
25	South Carolina	$28,775	$13.83
26	Maryland	$33,072	$15.90
27	Tennessee	$27,768	$13.35
28	Arizona	$30,823	$14.82
29	Wyoming	$30,721	$14.77
30	Rhode Island	$30,516	$14.67
31	Michigan	$29,045	$13.96
32	Louisiana	$29,272	$14.07
33	Montana	$30,997	$14.90
34	North Carolina	$28,146	$13.53
35	West Virginia	$29,266	$14.07
36	Utah	$27,715	$13.32
37	Kentucky	$26,892	$12.93
38	Texas	$27,969	$13.45
39	Mississippi	$28,252	$13.58
40	Hawaii	$30,612	$14.72
41	New Jersey	$29,602	$14.23
42	Alaska	$29,817	$14.34
43	Kansas	$27,914	$13.42
44	Georgia	$24,791	$11.92
45	Oklahoma	$25,933	$12.47
46	Arkansas	$27,076	$13.02
47	District of Columbia	$28,758	$13.83
48	Alabama	$23,967	$11.52
49	Florida	$23,954	$11.52
50	Delaware	$25,760	$12.38
51	Virginia	$24,098	$11.59

Top production worker jobs near you

Highest paying cities for production workers

The highest-paying cities for production workers are Tacoma, WA, Auburn, NY, and Tualatin, OR.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Tacoma, WA	$36,503	$17.55
2	Auburn, NY	$33,966	$16.33
3	Tualatin, OR	$33,722	$16.21
4	Dover, NH	$33,508	$16.11
5	Portland, ME	$33,408	$16.06
6	Minneapolis, MN	$33,241	$15.98
7	Columbia, MD	$33,060	$15.89
8	Toledo, OH	$32,698	$15.72
9	Kansas City, MO	$32,693	$15.72
10	Denver, CO	$32,690	$15.72
11	Chicago, IL	$32,310	$15.53
12	Green Bay, WI	$31,623	$15.20
13	Indianapolis, IN	$31,165	$14.98
14	Sioux City, IA	$31,017	$14.91
15	Phoenix, AZ	$30,910	$14.86
16	Sioux Falls, SD	$30,272	$14.55
17	Omaha, NE	$30,242	$14.54
18	Lancaster, PA	$30,026	$14.44
19	Plainfield, MI	$29,182	$14.03
20	Columbia, SC	$28,887	$13.89

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

Production worker salary details

A production worker's salary ranges from $24,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $38,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average production worker salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a production worker's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$38,000	$3,167	$18
75th Percentile	$34,000	$2,833	$16
Average	$30,847	$2,571	$15
25th Percentile	$27,000	$2,250	$13
10th Percentile	$24,000	$2,000	$12

Highest paying production worker jobs

The highest paying types of production workers are production specialist, production technician, and production operator.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Pack Out Operator	$33,217	$2,768	$15.97	73,108
Stacker	$29,046	$2,420	$13.96	27,528
Assembly Worker	$30,331	$2,528	$14.58	85,178
Assembly Line Worker	$27,929	$2,327	$13.43	88,030
Generator Worker	$32,651	$2,721	$15.70	76,094
Shop Worker	$31,850	$2,654	$15.31	73,161

Top companies hiring production workers now:

Which companies pay production workers the most?

Production worker salaries at BD and United Natural Foods are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average production worker salary at companies like Anomatic and Dairy Farmers of America are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	BD	$41,598	$20.00
2	United Natural Foods	$40,504	$19.47
3	Anomatic	$40,453	$19.45
4	Dairy Farmers of America	$39,695	$19.08
5	The Clorox Company	$39,197	$18.84
6	Novelis	$39,134	$18.81
7	PPG	$38,984	$18.74
8	Vista Outdoor	$38,839	$18.67
9	Owens Corning	$38,793	$18.65
10	Rich Products	$38,777	$18.64
11	Schneider Electric Industrial Services	$38,683	$18.60
12	Amcor	$38,660	$18.59
13	Siemens	$38,656	$18.58
14	Igloo Coolers	$38,646	$18.58
15	Raytheon Technologies	$38,366	$18.45
16	McCormick & Company	$38,354	$18.44
17	West Liberty Foods	$38,253	$18.39
18	PepsiCo	$38,209	$18.37
19	K&N	$38,174	$18.35
20	Seneca Foods	$38,158	$18.35

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$33,000$32,400$31,800$31,200$30,600$30,000

MaleFemale

Production Worker salary by industry

The average production worker salary varies across industries:

The average production worker salary in the automotive industry is $35,206, the highest of any industry.
The average production worker salary in the finance industry is $33,520.
Production workers in the retail industry earn an average salary of $29,175, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for production workers

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Automotive	$35,206	$16.93
2	Technology	$33,520	$16.12
3	Manufacturing	$32,155	$15.46
4	Retail	$29,175	$14.03

High paying production worker jobs

Production worker salary trends

The average production worker salary has risen by $4,613 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average production worker earned $26,234 annually, but today, they earn $30,847 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for production workers over the last decade.

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

Average production worker salary over time

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

Production worker salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$30,800	$14.83	+5.2%
2024	$29,300	$14.07	-1.2%
2023	$29,600	$14.24	+4.2%
2022	$28,400	$13.64	+0.4%
2021	$28,200	$13.58	+2.9%

Recently added production worker salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Barry-Wehmiller	Production Worker-Cones & Cages \| Night Shift	Sleepy Eye, MN	06/30/2025	$41,740
Richardson Sales Performance	Production Worker	South Sioux City, NE	06/30/2025	$47,458
McKee Foods Corp	Production Worker-2Nd Shift	Collegedale, TN	06/29/2025	$39,319
Precoat Metals	Production Worker	Granite City, IL	06/29/2025	$42,324
Van Drunen Farms	Production Worker, Nights	Momence, IL	06/29/2025	$38,088
Rheem Manufacturing	Fsh-Production Worker (2ND Shift)	Fort Smith, AR	06/29/2025	$40,822
Burnham Holdings Inc.	Production Worker	Peru, IN	06/29/2025	$31,305
Jack Link's, Inc.	Packaging Production Worker 3Rd Shift	New Glarus, WI	06/29/2025	$31,305
Smurfit Westrock	Production Worker	Delaware Water Gap, PA	06/29/2025	$51,674
Smurfit Westrock	Production Worker	Highland, IL	06/29/2025	$40,843

Production worker salary FAQs

What state pays Production Workers the most?

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

What is a good starting salary for a Production Worker?

How much do manufacturing people make?

How much do production line workers make?

How much does an average production worker make a year?

What is the average manufacturing wage?

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

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Updated December 15, 2025

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