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Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers: Career Overview
Use hands or hand tools to perform routine cutting and trimming of meat, poultry, and seafood.
What Tasks Do Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Take On?
The core tasks performed by meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers span:
- 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.
What Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Need to Know
Top meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The abilities most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Other Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Job Titles
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Abalone Processor
- Animal Eviscerator
- Animal Skinner
- Animal Sticker
- Bacon Derinder
- Bacon Skin Lifter
- Bacon Skinner
- Bacon Slicer
Job Outlook
There are about 272,249 meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +6.4% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $49,895 |
| Hourly median | $23.99 |
| 10th percentile | $35,762 |
| 25th percentile | $42,829 |
| 75th percentile | $56,961 |
| 90th percentile | $64,027 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Nebraska | $47,900 |
| Arizona | $46,940 |
| Kansas | $46,020 |
| North Dakota | $44,170 |
| Indiana | $43,590 |
| South Dakota | $42,890 |
| Utah | $42,760 |
| Iowa | $42,550 |
| Hawaii | $42,230 |
| Missouri | $42,140 |
| Minnesota | $39,830 |
| Washington | $39,660 |
| Michigan | $39,490 |
| Illinois | $39,420 |
| Florida | $39,300 |
| Maine | $39,030 |
| Wisconsin | $38,270 |
| Ohio | $38,230 |
| Kentucky | $38,230 |
| Georgia | $38,010 |
| Montana | $37,950 |
| New Hampshire | $37,890 |
| Tennessee | $37,490 |
| Vermont | $37,190 |
| Alaska | $37,020 |
| Nevada | $36,890 |
| New York | $36,870 |
| California | $36,790 |
| Massachusetts | $36,780 |
| North Carolina | $36,650 |
| New Jersey | $36,470 |
| Arkansas | $36,290 |
| Pennsylvania | $36,280 |
| Virginia | $35,420 |
| Rhode Island | $35,220 |
| Oregon | $35,110 |
| Oklahoma | $35,060 |
| Texas | $34,900 |
| Wyoming | $34,650 |
| Mississippi | $34,600 |
| Idaho | $34,420 |
| Delaware | $34,060 |
| South Carolina | $33,690 |
| West Virginia | $33,010 |
| Connecticut | $32,950 |
| Maryland | $31,200 |
| New Mexico | $30,260 |
| Alabama | $28,380 |
| Louisiana | $27,180 |
| Guam | $25,800 |
| Puerto Rico | $20,430 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Compensation for meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers shift depending on where you work. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plains States | $44,428 | 17.6% | 4.29 |
| Great Lakes | $39,726 | 8.2% | 0.65 |
| Far Western US | $37,778 | 10.3% | 0.99 |
| New England | $36,543 | 2.1% | 0.55 |
| Southwest | $35,847 | 6.2% | 0.54 |
| Southeast | $35,057 | 42.6% | 3.77 |
| Middle Atlantic | $34,923 | 8.2% | 6.80 |
| Other U.S. Territories | $25,800 | 0.0% | 1.10 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | KY | $50,710 | 270 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | NJ | $49,140 | 60 |
| Sheboygan, WI | WI | $48,830 | 60 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | CO | $47,340 | 310 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | AZ | $46,940 | 650 |
| Bismarck, ND | ND | $46,230 | 340 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | IA | $46,130 | 1,580 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | NE | $45,720 | 1,970 |
Which Industries Hire Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
The bulk of meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 110,850 | $38,170 |
| Retail Trade | 17,010 | $36,390 |
| Wholesale Trade | 7,210 | $39,110 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 5,720 | $34,870 |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 130 | $32,250 |
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Internet browser software: Web browser software (in demand)
Work Environment
Daily working conditions for meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers reflects the following characteristics:
- Spend Time Standing
- Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
- Frequency of Decision Making
Education and Training
Typical meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers positions require less than a high school diploma as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Cooks, Restaurant (Supplemental)
- Cooks, Short Order (Supplemental)
- Food Preparation Workers (Supplemental)
- Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products (Primary-Short)
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse (Supplemental)
- Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals (Primary-Short)
- Bakers (Supplemental)
- Butchers and Meat Cutters (Primary-Short)
About the Data
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 51-3022.00 (Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers).
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