Find Trade Colleges

Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter or Trimmer

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.

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.

  • 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.

undefined

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.

undefined

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.

undefined

How many years of work experience do I need?

undefined

Where Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Work

undefined

The table below shows the approximate number of Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers employed by various industries.

undefined

Similar Careers

Those who work as a Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter or Trimmer sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:

References:

Image Credit: via

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Find Trade Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited trade schools across the U.S.