Personal or work email, both work. No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.
The national median salary for Helpers--Production Workers is $39,062 per year ($18.78/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $35,214 and $45,989 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $53,414 per year. There are approximately 165,700 helpers--production workers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Help production workers by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include supplying or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment. Apprentice workers are classified in the appropriate production occupations (51-0000).
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-8.9%
Much slower than average
Annual openings
24K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
169K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Animal Slaughtering and Processing
NAICS 311600
22K
$37,470
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
17K
$34,940
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only)
NAICS 3320A2
9K
$38,470
Converted Paper Product Manufacturing
NAICS 322200
8K
$45,200
Printing and Related Support Activities
NAICS 323100
8K
$37,080
Wage range across top 5 industries: $34,940 to $45,200 (29% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$14.97
$31,138
P25
$16.93
$35,214
P50MEDIAN
$18.78
$39,062
P75
$22.11
$45,989
P90
$25.68
$53,414
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · manufacturing sector
Stable
Openings Rate
3.5%
Quits Rate
1.4%
Manufacturing openings ticked up to 462K (+19K) in March, with the rate at 3.5%. Hires rose to 310K. The sector has stabilized after late-2025 softening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average helpers--production workers salary?
The national median salary for Helpers--Production Workers is $39,062 per year ($18.78/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $35,214 and $45,989 annually.
How much do top-earning helpers--production workers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Helpers--Production Workers is $53,414 per year ($25.68/hr). The 75th percentile is $45,989 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for helpers--production workers?
Entry-level Helpers--Production Workers (10th percentile) earn approximately $31,138 per year ($14.97/hr). The 25th percentile is $35,214 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.