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Slaughterer and Meat Packer

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All About Slaughterers and Meat Packers

Job Description: Work in slaughtering, meat packing, or wholesale establishments performing precision functions involving the preparation of meat. Work may include specialized slaughtering tasks, cutting standard or premium cuts of meat for marketing, making sausage, or wrapping meats.

Slaughterer & Meat Packer Responsibilities

  • Trim head meat, and sever or remove parts of animals' heads or skulls.
  • Wrap dressed carcasses or meat cuts.
  • Shave or singe and defeather carcasses, and wash them in preparation for further processing or packaging.
  • Stun animals prior to slaughtering.
  • Grind meat into hamburger, and into trimmings used to prepare sausages, luncheon meats, and other meat products.
  • Skin sections of animals or whole animals.

What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Slaughterer & Meat Packer?

Below is a list of the skills most Slaughterers and Meat Packers say are important on the job.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

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.

Types of Slaughterer & Meat Packer Jobs

  • Shochet
  • Saw Operator
  • Live Hanger
  • Pig Sticker
  • Beef Splitter

Slaughterer & Meat Packer Job Outlook

In the United States, there were 82,500 jobs for Slaughterer and Meat Packer in 2016. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Slaughterer and Meat Packer. There will be an estimated 10,100 positions for Slaughterer & Meat Packer per year.

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The states with the most job growth for Slaughterer & Meat Packer are Utah, Georgia, and Arizona. Watch out if you plan on working in Virginia, Kansas, or Wyoming. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Slaughterer & Meat Packer Salary

Slaughterers and Meat Packers make between $20,810 and $37,480 a year.

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Slaughterers and Meat Packers who work in Maryland, Nebraska, or Kansas, make the highest salaries.

How much do Slaughterers and Meat Packers make in each U.S. state?

State Annual Mean Salary
Alabama $21,740
Arizona $33,330
Arkansas $27,640
California $27,980
Connecticut $27,550
Delaware $28,280
Florida $26,270
Georgia $24,920
Hawaii $26,150
Idaho $24,360
Illinois $30,640
Indiana $30,110
Iowa $31,940
Kansas $32,310
Kentucky $27,170
Louisiana $22,680
Maryland $35,010
Massachusetts $28,270
Michigan $27,920
Minnesota $31,540
Mississippi $25,780
Missouri $28,840
Nebraska $32,610
New Hampshire $25,400
New Jersey $28,120
New Mexico $28,460
New York $30,280
North Carolina $29,070
North Dakota $30,160
Ohio $28,070
Oklahoma $23,730
Oregon $27,980
Pennsylvania $31,540
Rhode Island $27,160
South Carolina $22,400
South Dakota $30,160
Tennessee $25,320
Utah $30,430
Vermont $30,550
Virginia $28,350
Washington $33,070
West Virginia $27,150
Wisconsin $30,320

What Tools & Technology do Slaughterers and Meat Packers Use?

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Slaughterers and Meat Packers:

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office
  • Data entry software

How do I Become a Slaughterer & Meat Packer?

Learn what Slaughterer and Meat Packer education requirements there are.

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What work experience do I need to become a Slaughterer & Meat Packer?

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Where do Slaughterers and Meat Packers Work?

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The table below shows the approximate number of Slaughterers and Meat Packers employed by various industries.

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Those thinking about becoming a Slaughterer and Meat Packer might also be interested in the following careers:

References:

Image Credit: U.S. Army Europe Images via Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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