Only in CA silicon valley are manufacturing jobs "low pay". Idiot statement. High school grads rarely have skills to take high paying jobs. I had 7 years of college and made $100k in the 1970 until the oil patch collapsed in the early 80s. My school teaching ex was making a whopping $20k annually the year we split, and she made $600 more than me that year which is why I started appraisal school. It took 3 years to earn anything above $50k.
And in much of the US, a $25 an hour manufacturing job, and bennies are well paid. And California cost of living reduces the average weekly wage in California adjusted for the cost of living is $1,223. California is horribly expensive place to live compared to 40 plus other states. Only 1% of US workers make in the $700,000 range or higher. And the top 10% earn barely $190k. 4 out of 5 people earn less than $100,000 annually.