Explore national salary, projected growth, education requirements, and career opportunities across the United States.
A concise view of this occupation’s national scale, compensation, and projected demand.
National median annual wage for this occupation.
Estimated jobs currently supported nationwide.
Projected employment change through 2034.
Estimated openings created each year.
The typical education, prior experience, and on-the-job training associated with entry into this career.
High school diploma or equivalent
None
Short-term on-the-job training
These are the highest-rated capabilities associated with success in this occupation. Scores are derived from occupational skill analysis and are measured on a 100-point scale.
Based on skills, knowledge, and work activities, these occupations are the closest match to your current career.
Explore the states and metropolitan areas offering the strongest combination of salary, employment, demand, and long-term opportunity.
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Understand the salary, outlook, education, and geographic opportunities shaping this career.
Helpers—production workers support production processes in a wide range of settings, offering an entry point into hands-on, physically active work. Nationally, this occupation employs about 168,000 workers, with a median annual salary of $38,220. The role typically requires at least a high school diploma or equivalent, making it accessible for individuals starting their careers or transitioning from other fields without needing advanced formal education. The work draws on multiple strengths, including physical strength and stamina, fine motor skills, mechanical ability, and being detail oriented. It also benefits from quantitative and analytical capabilities such as mathematics and critical and analytical thinking, as well as interpersonal and computer skills. While national employment is projected to decline, there are still an estimated 24,000 annual openings, indicating ongoing turnover and hiring needs. For people who prefer practical, production-oriented work and want to build industrial skills, this career can serve as a foundation and a potential bridge to related occupations such as machine feeders and offbearers or other specialized production roles.
Nationally, helpers—production workers earn a median annual salary of $38,220. Pay levels vary by state and metro area, and some locations offer notably higher median wages. Among the top states by opportunity score, Colorado reports a median salary of $45,550 and Washington reports $45,450, above the national median. California and New York also stand out with median salaries of $43,970 and $43,540, while Massachusetts is close behind at $42,280. Major metro areas with high CareerGPS opportunity scores often pair strong salaries with other favorable characteristics. The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro has a median salary of $46,290, and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is at $46,170. The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro reports $43,240, and the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro shows $42,950. These figures suggest that, depending on where workers choose to locate, there is potential to earn significantly more than the national median.
Helpers—production workers currently account for about 168,000 jobs nationwide. The occupation is projected to experience a -8.9% change in employment, indicating a decline over the projection period. Despite this negative growth rate, employers are still expected to hire for about 24,000 openings each year. The combination of declining overall employment and ongoing annual openings suggests that much of the opportunity in this field will come from turnover and replacement needs rather than expansion. Individuals considering this occupation should be aware that while total positions may shrink over time, there continues to be a regular flow of job opportunities. Workers may also find it useful to keep an eye on related roles, such as machine feeders and offbearers, textile winding, twisting, and drawing out machine setters, operators, and tenders, or molders, shapers, and casters (except metal and plastic), as potential alternative or future career paths.
Geography plays a substantial role in the opportunity landscape for helpers—production workers. At the state level, California leads with an opportunity score of 67.38, a median salary of $43,970, and employment of 16,730, offering a large employment base. Massachusetts and New York also show strong opportunity scores—65.87 and 65.78 respectively—with median salaries just above $42,000 and employment in the low thousands. Colorado and Washington round out the top states with opportunity scores in the mid-50s and median salaries around $45,500 and $45,450. At the metro level, differences become even more pronounced. The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro has the highest opportunity score of 77.42 and a median salary of $46,170. The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro closely follows with an opportunity score of 77.27 and the largest listed employment at 4,780. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA combines a high median salary of $46,290 with an opportunity score of 68.75. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV and Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH also offer solid opportunity scores in the low-to-mid 60s and median salaries in the low $40,000s.
The typical education requirement for helpers—production workers is a high school diploma or equivalent. This lowers the barrier to entry for individuals who want to move directly into the workforce without pursuing a multi-year college degree. However, success in this role depends on developing a specific mix of practical and cognitive skills. Key strengths for this occupation include physical strength and stamina and fine motor skills, reflecting the hands-on nature of production environments. Mechanical skills and science knowledge support understanding how equipment and processes function. Being detail oriented and comfortable with mathematics helps workers handle measurements, counts, and other quantitative aspects of production. Interpersonal skills matter for working effectively with supervisors and coworkers, while computers and information technology skills are valuable for interacting with digital tools. Project management and critical and analytical thinking further enhance a worker’s ability to organize tasks and solve problems, making them more effective and adaptable on the job.
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