Helpers--Production Workers · SOC 51-9198
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Helpers--Production Workerss
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas
Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for helpers--production workers. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.
Top 25 of 317 metro areas
| # | Metro area | Median annual | Employment | Per 1,000 jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reading, PA | $54,550 | 340 | 1.9 |
| 2 | Albany, OR | $52,290 | 200 | 4.1 |
| 3 | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | $52,050 | 200 | 0.5 |
| 4 | Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | $50,480 | 290 | 3.1 |
| 5 | Fargo, ND-MN | $50,190 | 80 | 0.6 |
| 6 | Fond du Lac, WI | $50,110 | 60 | 1.3 |
| 7 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $49,920 | 230 | 1.1 |
| 8 | New Haven, CT | $49,900 | 320 | 1.1 |
| 9 | Lewiston, ID-WA | $49,680 | 70 | 2.5 |
| 10 | Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI | $49,020 | 90 | 1.1 |
| 11 | Pueblo, CO | $48,970 | 100 | 1.5 |
| 12 | Wausau, WI | $48,790 | 70 | 1.0 |
| 13 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $48,690 | 500 | 0.8 |
| 14 | Green Bay, WI | $48,670 | 260 | 1.5 |
| 15 | Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | $48,520 | 420 | 5.0 |
| 16 | Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | $48,470 | 420 | 3.9 |
| 17 | Napa, CA | $48,420 | 160 | 2.1 |
| 18 | Amarillo, TX | $48,370 | 270 | 2.2 |
| 19 | Joplin, MO-KS | $47,850 | 350 | 4.0 |
| 20 | Burlington-South Burlington, VT | $47,830 | 60 | 0.5 |
| 21 | Duluth, MN-WI | $47,760 | 70 | 0.5 |
| 22 | Sheboygan, WI | $47,720 | 100 | 1.7 |
| 23 | Ogden, UT | $47,440 | 120 | 0.5 |
| 24 | Stockton-Lodi, CA | $47,320 | 380 | 1.3 |
| 25 | Peoria, IL | $47,250 | 30 | 0.2 |
Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Helpers--Production Workers overview.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.