Production Occupations in Arkansas, May 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 state estimates. BLS sorts every occupation into one of 22 major groups; this is the Production Occupations group in Arkansas. These are estimates of jobs and wages, not job openings.
The group’s own figures in Arkansas
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Occupation group code | 51-0000 |
| Employment | 117,980 |
| Jobs per 1,000 | 91.54 |
| Location quotient | 1.61 |
| Mean annual wage | $44,410 |
| Median annual wage | $39,420 |
| Mean hourly wage | $21.35 |
| Median hourly wage | $18.95 |
| 10th percentile annual wage | $29,940 |
| 25th percentile annual wage | $34,920 |
| 75th percentile annual wage | $49,230 |
| 90th percentile annual wage | $62,550 |
Detailed occupations in this group in Arkansas
Every detailed occupation BLS publishes for this group in Arkansas, sorted by employment. Rows where BLS publishes no employment estimate (**) come last. Click a column heading to sort. A cell that reads “not published annually” or “not published hourly” means BLS publishes that row on the other basis only. A cell showing * or # is BLS’s own footnote symbol, explained below the table. Each row is that occupation’s own BLS record for Arkansas.
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage | Mean annual wage | 10th percentile annual wage | 90th percentile annual wage | Median hourly wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 12,470 | $36,630 | $37,840 | $29,320 | $48,550 | $17.61 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers | 10,910 | $61,110 | $66,090 | $40,710 | $98,730 | $29.38 |
| Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers | 9,350 | $36,290 | $36,340 | $29,620 | $42,240 | $17.45 |
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | 7,240 | $47,100 | $48,970 | $36,340 | $63,570 | $22.64 |
| Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers | 6,350 | $41,570 | $44,940 | $32,510 | $60,080 | $19.99 |
| Helpers--Production Workers | 6,280 | $35,580 | $37,180 | $32,210 | $45,480 | $17.11 |
| Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders | 5,130 | $37,660 | $39,890 | $31,280 | $51,030 | $18.11 |
| Production Workers, All Other | 3,920 | $34,980 | $37,750 | $28,930 | $48,620 | $16.82 |
| Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 3,200 | $45,020 | $43,190 | $29,980 | $54,200 | $21.65 |
| Food Batchmakers | 2,430 | $36,550 | $38,630 | $27,740 | $52,190 | $17.57 |
| Machinists | 2,390 | $48,820 | $51,430 | $35,250 | $71,670 | $23.47 |
| Bakers | 2,270 | $29,340 | $31,270 | $24,580 | $38,060 | $14.11 |
| Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators | 2,240 | $38,310 | $42,130 | $29,060 | $58,930 | $18.42 |
| Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 2,210 | $44,710 | $43,720 | $30,020 | $54,650 | $21.5 |
| Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 2,140 | $37,640 | $40,020 | $30,870 | $51,170 | $18.1 |
| Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers | 2,060 | $27,980 | $28,850 | $23,800 | $35,480 | $13.45 |
| Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers | 1,910 | $42,110 | $42,840 | $29,900 | $50,780 | $20.25 |
| Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 1,850 | $45,520 | $49,090 | $34,820 | $67,240 | $21.88 |
| Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 1,820 | $45,280 | $46,040 | $33,180 | $59,510 | $21.77 |
| Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood | 1,680 | $36,120 | $41,340 | $27,520 | $60,950 | $17.37 |
| Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators | 1,640 | $48,810 | $47,130 | $34,160 | $59,050 | $23.47 |
| Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 1,570 | $44,780 | $45,310 | $35,560 | $64,060 | $21.53 |
| Food Processing Workers, All Other | 1,500 | $36,070 | $37,690 | $29,550 | $46,080 | $17.34 |
| Printing Press Operators | 1,450 | $48,310 | $46,420 | $29,270 | $61,170 | $23.23 |
| Slaughterers and Meat Packers | 1,130 | $34,780 | $34,680 | $32,320 | $36,860 | $16.72 |
| Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders | 1,100 | $54,410 | $56,430 | $40,500 | $76,070 | $26.16 |
| Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters | 1,080 | $48,600 | $59,390 | $34,150 | $102,110 | $23.36 |
| Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 1,080 | $45,250 | $48,950 | $36,590 | $66,270 | $21.76 |
| Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing | 1,070 | $36,520 | $37,900 | $25,150 | $48,930 | $17.56 |
| Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 1,050 | $48,570 | $49,020 | $37,890 | $58,790 | $23.35 |
| Butchers and Meat Cutters | 910 | $35,650 | $35,450 | $27,270 | $44,870 | $17.14 |
| Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 890 | $45,830 | $48,960 | $36,500 | $65,100 | $22.03 |
| Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters | 870 | $41,930 | $44,040 | $31,210 | $58,650 | $20.16 |
| Sewing Machine Operators | 840 | $30,630 | $33,110 | $26,230 | $44,140 | $14.73 |
| Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 710 | $41,830 | $41,500 | $30,100 | $51,750 | $20.11 |
| Dental Laboratory Technicians | 650 | $45,880 | $51,130 | $30,670 | $78,360 | $22.06 |
| Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 640 | $37,690 | $38,260 | $29,120 | $46,380 | $18.12 |
| Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers | 580 | $40,690 | $47,780 | $34,250 | $66,850 | $19.56 |
| Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 530 | $39,450 | $42,750 | $32,150 | $55,410 | $18.96 |
| Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators | 520 | $39,560 | $40,670 | $34,220 | $48,050 | $19.02 |
| Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers | 460 | $47,440 | $45,800 | $41,200 | $48,510 | $22.81 |
| Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders | 430 | $40,220 | $45,140 | $35,280 | $67,210 | $19.34 |
| Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 420 | $44,410 | $50,450 | $37,080 | $69,520 | $21.35 |
| Tool and Die Makers | 350 | $50,380 | $51,180 | $29,890 | $67,210 | $24.22 |
| Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders | 320 | $36,380 | $39,540 | $33,560 | $63,680 | $17.49 |
| Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders | 310 | $47,300 | $46,820 | $34,850 | $60,770 | $22.74 |
| Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders | 310 | $45,510 | $45,960 | $34,220 | $53,160 | $21.88 |
| Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers | 280 | $81,490 | $77,110 | $54,800 | $93,650 | $39.18 |
| Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials | 270 | $28,670 | $29,020 | $27,170 | $31,220 | $13.79 |
| Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders | 260 | $37,770 | $39,840 | $33,190 | $47,390 | $18.16 |
| Gas Plant Operators | 260 | $81,310 | $80,290 | $45,180 | $102,200 | $39.09 |
| Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers | 250 | $52,830 | $57,140 | $43,610 | $78,000 | $25.4 |
| Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators | 250 | $56,180 | $56,310 | $41,250 | $66,800 | $27.01 |
| Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders | 240 | $39,430 | $39,420 | $36,110 | $45,610 | $18.96 |
| Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 240 | $34,970 | $38,730 | $30,430 | $50,470 | $16.81 |
| Metal Workers and Plastic Workers, All Other | 240 | $44,790 | $49,000 | $36,860 | $63,190 | $21.53 |
| Power Plant Operators | 240 | $88,860 | $85,580 | $58,780 | $106,610 | $42.72 |
| Power Distributors and Dispatchers | 230 | $113,770 | $114,600 | $80,560 | $135,020 | $54.7 |
| Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 220 | $38,160 | $39,600 | $30,850 | $53,650 | $18.35 |
| Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 220 | $36,930 | $39,330 | $26,970 | $54,180 | $17.76 |
| Print Binding and Finishing Workers | 210 | $39,430 | $40,410 | $28,970 | $58,350 | $18.96 |
| Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians | 200 | $38,090 | $38,600 | $29,380 | $47,620 | $18.31 |
| Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 180 | $51,520 | $46,950 | $34,580 | $56,500 | $24.77 |
| Prepress Technicians and Workers | 180 | $43,520 | $46,770 | $34,150 | $58,330 | $20.92 |
| Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers | 180 | $34,620 | $32,450 | $25,070 | $36,380 | $16.65 |
| Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners | 170 | $38,650 | $46,450 | $34,110 | $79,040 | $18.58 |
| Chemical Plant and System Operators | 160 | $46,130 | $51,030 | $31,560 | $94,220 | $22.18 |
| Upholsterers | 150 | $41,890 | $51,680 | $29,260 | $96,110 | $20.14 |
| Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 150 | $43,700 | $44,060 | $28,260 | $58,770 | $21.01 |
| Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 140 | $37,600 | $48,120 | $34,320 | $72,000 | $18.08 |
| Plant and System Operators, All Other | 120 | $39,160 | $47,580 | $37,690 | $69,310 | $18.83 |
| Etchers and Engravers | 110 | $36,680 | $38,720 | $31,450 | $48,590 | $17.63 |
| Pourers and Casters, Metal | 110 | $40,300 | $46,260 | $38,410 | $69,770 | $19.37 |
| Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers | 110 | $31,750 | $34,420 | $27,610 | $44,200 | $15.27 |
| Foundry Mold and Coremakers | 100 | $37,020 | $38,030 | $29,910 | $45,910 | $17.8 |
| Furniture Finishers | 100 | $37,830 | $39,600 | $31,450 | $50,620 | $18.19 |
| Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic | 100 | $41,920 | $43,720 | $37,510 | $52,920 | $20.15 |
| Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders | 90 | $40,430 | $42,220 | $29,520 | $53,150 | $19.44 |
| Engine and Other Machine Assemblers | 80 | $52,780 | $51,320 | $32,790 | $58,640 | $25.38 |
| Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers | 70 | $38,560 | $40,830 | $34,700 | $51,000 | $18.54 |
| Semiconductor Processing Technicians | 70 | $36,710 | $39,410 | $35,600 | $46,610 | $17.65 |
| Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 50 | $32,240 | $31,950 | $22,880 | $40,600 | $15.5 |
| Medical Appliance Technicians | 40 | $45,140 | $46,650 | $38,210 | $59,300 | $21.7 |
| Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers | ** | $31,500 | $44,860 | $28,720 | $70,930 | $15.14 |
| Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers, All Other | ** | $32,480 | $31,860 | $25,800 | $35,680 | $15.61 |
Symbols (BLS wording, workbook sheet Field Descriptions sheet): ** indicates that an employment estimate is not available · * indicates that a wage estimate is not available · # indicates a wage equal to or greater than $115.00 per hour or $239,200 per year. A wage shown as a symbol is not zero and not a blank: BLS publishes no number there.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 state estimates. Record: state_M2024_dl.xlsx!AREA=05&OCC_CODE=51-0000. the group row is AREA 05 / OCC_CODE 51-0000, and each table row is its own detailed record for this area, AREA 05 / OCC_CODE 51-xxxx. Reference period: May 2024. Fetched October 2026 from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24st.zip.