Careers / Cutters and Trimmers, Hand
Cutters and Trimmers, Hand — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$38,020
United States, 2025
Employment
6,060
United States, 2025
Typical education
Less than a High School Diploma
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Use hand tools or hand-held power tools to cut and trim a variety of manufactured items, such as carpet, fabric, stone, glass, or rubber.
- O*NET code
- 51-9031.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- Mark or discard items with defects such as spots, stains, scars, snags, chips, scratches, or unacceptable shapes or finishes.
- Trim excess material or cut threads off finished products, such as cutting loose ends of plastic off a manufactured toy for a smoother finish.
- Cut, shape, and trim materials, such as textiles, food, glass, stone, and metal, using knives, scissors, and other hand tools, portable power tools, or bench-mounted tools.
- Position templates or measure materials to locate specified points of cuts or to obtain maximum yields, using rules, scales, or patterns.
- Read work orders to determine dimensions, cutting locations, and quantities to cut.
- Mark cutting lines around patterns or templates, or follow layout points, using squares, rules, and straightedges, and chalk, pencils, or scribes.
- Mark identification numbers, trademarks, grades, marketing data, sizes, or model numbers on products.
- Unroll, lay out, attach, or mount materials or items on cutting tables or machines.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$26,630
25th percentile
$34,050
75th percentile
$47,850
90th percentile
$57,870
Most important skills
- Speaking2.9
- Time Management2.9
- Active Listening2.9
- Social Perceptiveness2.8
- Reading Comprehension2.8
- Judgment and Decision Making2.8
- Monitoring2.8
- Critical Thinking2.6
- Complex Problem Solving2.5
- Management of Personnel Resources2.3
- Coordination2.3
- Service Orientation2.3
What skills do you need?
No skill ratings are recorded for this occupation in the current O*NET release.
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Compare with Cutters and Trimmers, HandHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory, NC | $49,200 | 590 | 2025 |
| NE | $48,830 | 60 | 2025 |
| VT | $48,670 | — | 2025 |
| IA | $48,580 | — | 2025 |
| RI | $48,100 | 50 | 2025 |
| NC | $47,910 | 1,060 | 2025 |
| MI | $46,830 | 50 | 2025 |
| MN | $46,570 | 40 | 2025 |
| NY | $46,190 | 220 | 2025 |
| Winston, NC | $45,520 | 50 | 2025 |
| St. Louis, MO | $45,250 | 40 | 2025 |
| Providence, RI | $44,140 | 70 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $42,580 | 40 | 2025 |
| Atlanta, GA | $41,890 | 110 | 2025 |
| IN | $41,740 | 360 | 2025 |
| Elkhart, IN | $41,740 | 70 | 2025 |
| Charlotte, NC | $40,970 | 130 | 2025 |
| MO | $40,560 | 110 | 2025 |
| MA | $39,970 | 110 | 2025 |
| SC | $39,340 | 50 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Cutters and Trimmers, Hand to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.