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Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers in South Dakota

Want to work as a Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers in South Dakota? Below are the key facts. Use hands or hand tools to perform routine cutting and trimming of meat, poultry, and seafood.

What do Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Make in South Dakota?

For meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers working in South Dakota, wages run about $42,890 per year (or about $20.62/hour).Annual wages span from $39,610 at the 10th percentile to $52,000 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$39,610	$19.05
25th percentile	$42,890	$20.62
Median (50th)	$42,890	$20.62
75th percentile	$46,640	$22.42
90th percentile	$52,000	$25.00

Location quotient — how concentrated this career is in South Dakota relative to the national average — is 4.92, meaning that meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers earn a median of $49,895 per year ($23.99/hour), below the South Dakota median.

Employment Outlook

There are roughly 272,249 meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers in the U.S.. In South Dakota alone, approximately 2,040 people work in this role. That’s more than the typical state, which employs around 1,630 meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers.

Top States for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Employment

These states have the highest employment of meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers work.

State	Number Employed
Georgia	12,350
Alabama	9,560
North Carolina	9,420
Arkansas	9,350
California	7,740
Nebraska	7,660
Mississippi	6,470
Texas	6,360
Delaware	5,770
Colorado	4,870
Kansas	4,520
Illinois	4,310
Missouri	3,900
Washington	3,570
Minnesota	3,390
Ohio	3,320
Iowa	3,270
South Carolina	2,970
Tennessee	2,670
New York	2,510

Highest-Paying States for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers

These states pay the most for meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers.

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

Skills

Top meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Key knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

Key abilities for meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers typically:

• 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.
• Remove parts, such as skin, feathers, scales or bones, from carcass.
• Obtain and distribute specified meat or carcass.
• Produce hamburger meat and meat trimmings.
• Clean and salt hides.

Work Activities

• Getting Information
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Handling and Moving Objects
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Processing Information
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
• Controlling Machines and Processes
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Performing General Physical Activities
• Training and Teaching Others

Tools & Technology

Common tools and software used in this occupation include: Hot technologies: Microsoft Excel In-demand technologies: Web browser software

Related Careers

Careers similar to meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers include:

• Cooks, Restaurant
• Cooks, Short Order
• Food Preparation Workers
• Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products
• Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
• Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals

Also Known As

Abalone Processor, Animal Eviscerator, Animal Skinner, Animal Sticker, Bacon Derinder, Bacon Skin Lifter, Bacon Skinner, Bacon Slicer, Beef Boner, Beef Breaker, Beef Skinner, Beef Trimmer, Bladder Blower, Bladder Cleaner, Bladder Tier.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 51-3022.00