Find Trade Colleges
All About Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
Career Description Use hand or hand tools to perform routine cutting and trimming of meat, poultry, and seafood.
Meat, Poultry, & Fish Cutter or Trimmer Responsibilities
- 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.
- Inspect meat products for defects, bruises or blemishes and remove them along with any excess fat.
- Obtain and distribute specified meat or carcass.
- Use knives, cleavers, meat saws, bandsaws, or other equipment to perform meat cutting and trimming.
- Remove parts, such as skin, feathers, scales or bones, from carcass.
- Produce hamburger meat and meat trimmings.
Featured schools near , edit
Things a Meat, Poultry, & Fish Cutter or Trimmer Should Know How to Do
When polled, Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Related Job Titles
- Calf Skinner
- Rib Chopper
- Rip Sawyer
- Ham Boner
- Rumper
Job Outlook for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
In the United States, there were 156,400 jobs for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter or Trimmer in 2016. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter or Trimmer. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 19,200 job openings in this field each year.
The states with the most job growth for Meat, Poultry, & Fish Cutter or Trimmer are Nevada, Georgia, and Utah. Watch out if you plan on working in Alaska, Delaware, or Maine. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Meat, Poultry, & Fish Cutter or Trimmer Average Salary
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers make between $20,540 and $37,410 a year.
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers who work in Vermont, Nebraska, or Iowa, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers in different U.S. states.
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $22,930 |
| Alaska | $25,470 |
| Arkansas | $26,170 |
| California | $28,360 |
| Connecticut | $31,260 |
| Delaware | $26,430 |
| Florida | $28,920 |
| Georgia | $24,600 |
| Hawaii | $30,510 |
| Idaho | $26,080 |
| Illinois | $30,900 |
| Indiana | $28,100 |
| Iowa | $33,810 |
| Kansas | $31,050 |
| Kentucky | $27,440 |
| Louisiana | $22,250 |
| Maine | $27,880 |
| Maryland | $30,780 |
| Massachusetts | $28,340 |
| Michigan | $29,980 |
| Minnesota | $31,380 |
| Mississippi | $26,010 |
| Missouri | $30,140 |
| Montana | $27,860 |
| Nebraska | $33,950 |
| Nevada | $28,690 |
| New Hampshire | $29,260 |
| New Jersey | $29,560 |
| New Mexico | $30,850 |
| New York | $29,090 |
| North Carolina | $25,800 |
| North Dakota | $29,070 |
| Ohio | $28,710 |
| Oklahoma | $23,320 |
| Oregon | $27,090 |
| Pennsylvania | $29,520 |
| Rhode Island | $30,380 |
| South Carolina | $23,840 |
| South Dakota | $29,940 |
| Tennessee | $26,340 |
| Texas | $27,730 |
| Utah | $27,670 |
| Vermont | $35,300 |
| Virginia | $27,310 |
| Washington | $31,190 |
| West Virginia | $27,870 |
| Wisconsin | $28,620 |
| Wyoming | $27,390 |
What Tools & Technology do Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers may use on a daily basis:
- Web browser software
- Data entry software
Becoming a Meat, Poultry, & Fish Cutter or Trimmer
Learn what Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter or Trimmer education requirements there are.
How many years of work experience do I need?
Where Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Work
The table below shows the approximate number of Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers employed by various industries.
Similar Careers
Those who work as a Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter or Trimmer sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.