Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Career, Salary and Skills
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $38,300 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 145,700. Wage data is published for 185 locations.
Occupation description
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
Typical education
Less than a High School Diploma
Experience
Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
National salary and employment
Median annual
$38,300
Hourly median
$18.41
Employment
145,700
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.12 | 2.25 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Monitoring | 3.00 | 2.62 |
| Speaking | 3.00 | 2.62 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.00 | 2.12 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.88 | 2.38 |
| Coordination | 2.88 | 2.38 |
| Time Management | 2.88 | 2.12 |
| Service Orientation | 2.75 | 2.38 |
| Instructing | 2.62 | 2.12 |
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.
Technology
- Meat inventory software
- Microsoft Excel
- Sales software
- Web browser software
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Salary in GAMedian $39,330 · Employment 11,480
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Salary in NCMedian $39,170 · Employment 9,750
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Salary in CAMedian $36,570 · Employment 9,270
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Salary in ALMedian $31,080 · Employment 9,140
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Salary in ARMedian $37,980 · Employment 9,030
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Salary in TXMedian $35,890 · Employment 8,590
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Salary in NEMedian $47,580 · Employment 8,340
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Salary in MSMedian $37,890 · Employment 6,470
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Salary in DEMedian $35,500 · Employment 5,430
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Salary in KSMedian $48,080 · Employment 5,000
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $36,540 · Employment 4,340
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Salary in ILMedian $40,690 · Employment 4,040
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- BakersNational median $37,160
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and GreenhouseNational median $35,660
- Cooks, RestaurantNational median $37,390
- Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersNational median $48,540
- Food Preparation WorkersNational median $35,320
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.