Careers / Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$38,300
United States, 2025
Employment
145,700
United States, 2025
Typical education
Less than a High School Diploma
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Use hands or hand tools to perform routine cutting and trimming of meat, poultry, and seafood.
- O*NET code
- 51-3022.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
Typical tasks
- Use knives, cleavers, meat saws, bandsaws, or other equipment to perform meat cutting and trimming.
- Weigh meats and tag containers for weight and contents.
- Inspect meat products for defects, bruises or blemishes and remove them along with any excess fat.
- Cut and trim meat to prepare for packing.
- Separate meats and byproducts into specified containers and seal containers.
- Process primal parts into cuts that are ready for retail use.
- Prepare ready-to-heat foods by filleting meat or fish or cutting it into bite-sized pieces, preparing and adding vegetables or applying sauces or breading.
- Clean, trim, slice, and section carcasses for future processing.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$29,980
25th percentile
$35,350
75th percentile
$44,170
90th percentile
$48,150
Most important skills
- Active Listening3.1
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Critical Thinking3.0
- Speaking3.0
- Monitoring3.0
- Coordination2.9
- Time Management2.9
- Social Perceptiveness2.9
- Service Orientation2.8
- Instructing2.6
- Management of Personnel Resources2.6
- Operations Monitoring2.5
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 5 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
5
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Speaking | 3.0 | 2.6 | Not selected | 2.6 |
| Monitoring | 3.0 | 2.6 | Not selected | 2.6 |
| Active Listening | 3.1 | 2.3 | Not selected | 2.3 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 | 2.1 | Not selected | 2.1 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and TrimmersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topeka, KS | $52,050 | 120 | 2025 |
| Sheboygan, WI | $50,410 | 70 | 2025 |
| CO | $50,390 | 2,470 | 2025 |
| Omaha, NE | $49,810 | 1,920 | 2025 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $48,890 | 90 | 2025 |
| Denver, CO | $48,880 | 230 | 2025 |
| AZ | $48,550 | 620 | 2025 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $48,550 | 550 | 2025 |
| KS | $48,080 | 5,000 | 2025 |
| NE | $47,580 | 8,340 | 2025 |
| Sioux City, IA | $47,580 | 1,700 | 2025 |
| NH | $47,260 | — | 2025 |
| ND | $47,250 | 390 | 2025 |
| Kansas City, MO | $45,820 | 470 | 2025 |
| Portland, ME | $45,800 | 310 | 2025 |
| Des Moines, IA | $45,750 | 180 | 2025 |
| Akron, OH | $45,170 | 60 | 2025 |
| MI | $44,430 | 920 | 2025 |
| SD | $44,290 | 2,080 | 2025 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY | $44,280 | 310 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers 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.