Butchers and Meat Cutters Career, Salary and Skills
Butchers and Meat Cutters have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $40,140 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 136,430. Wage data is published for 417 locations.
Occupation description
Cut, trim, or prepare consumer-sized portions of meat for use or sale in retail establishments.
O*NET code
51-3021.00
Job zone
2
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$40,140
Hourly median
$19.30
Employment
136,430
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Monitoring | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Service Orientation | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Speaking | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Coordination | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.88 | 2.50 |
Typical tasks
- Prepare and place meat cuts and products in display counter to appear attractive and catch the shopper's eye.
- Wrap, weigh, label, and price cuts of meat.
- Cut, trim, bone, tie, and grind meats, such as beef, pork, poultry, and fish, to prepare in cooking form.
- Prepare special cuts of meat ordered by customers.
- Receive, inspect, and store meat upon delivery to ensure meat quality.
- Estimate requirements and order or requisition meat supplies to maintain inventories.
- Shape, lace, and tie roasts, using boning knife, skewer, and twine.
- Record quantity of meat received and issued to cooks or keep records of meat sales.
Technology
- Financial accounting software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Word
- Web browser software
Butchers and Meat Cutters salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Butchers and Meat Cutters Salary in CAMedian $44,290 · Employment 18,700
- Butchers and Meat Cutters Salary in TXMedian $37,400 · Employment 11,260
- Butchers and Meat Cutters Salary in FLMedian $42,790 · Employment 10,590
- Butchers and Meat Cutters Salary in ILMedian $39,240 · Employment 7,710
- Butchers and Meat Cutters Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $42,400 · Employment 6,510
- Butchers and Meat Cutters Salary in New York, NYMedian $42,470 · Employment 6,220
- Butchers and Meat Cutters Salary in Chicago, ILMedian $40,410 · Employment 5,910
- Butchers and Meat Cutters Salary in OHMedian $37,630 · Employment 5,640
- Butchers and Meat Cutters Salary in NJMedian $38,540 · Employment 4,610
- Butchers and Meat Cutters Salary in NYMedian $47,080 · Employment 4,540
- Butchers and Meat Cutters Salary in IAMedian $37,750 · Employment 4,480
- Butchers and Meat Cutters Salary in GAMedian $38,540 · Employment 4,420
Related careers
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving WorkersNational median $44,080
- Packers and Packagers, HandNational median $36,280
- Food Scientists and TechnologistsNational median $88,720
- Food Servers, NonrestaurantNational median $35,360
- Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and TendersNational median $44,810
- Cooks, Private HouseholdNational median $47,940
- Food Service ManagersNational median $69,390
- Cooks, Fast FoodNational median $30,890
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.