Find Trade Colleges

Study Area & Zipcode

Slaughterer and Meat Packer

Find Schools Near

What You Need to Know About Slaughterer and Meat Packer

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.

Daily Life Of a Slaughterer & Meat Packer

  • Skin sections of animals or whole animals.
  • Tend assembly lines, performing a few of the many cuts needed to process a carcass.
  • Trim, clean, or cure animal hides.
  • Stun animals prior to slaughtering.
  • Trim head meat, and sever or remove parts of animals’ heads or skulls.
  • Wrap dressed carcasses or meat cuts.

Skills Needed to be a Slaughterer & Meat Packer

When polled, Slaughterers and Meat Packers say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:

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.

  • Brainer
  • Cattle Killer
  • Saw Operator
  • Poultry Slaughterer
  • Boning Room Worker

Are There Job Opportunities for Slaughterers and Meat Packers?

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 82,500 jobs in the United States for Slaughterer and Meat Packer. 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.

undefined

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.

Do Slaughterers and Meat Packers Make A Lot Of Money?

The typical yearly salary for Slaughterers and Meat Packers is somewhere between $20,810 and $37,480.

undefined

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

Becoming a Slaughterer & Meat Packer

Education needed to be a Slaughterer and Meat Packer:

undefined

How many years of work experience do I need?

undefined

Where do Slaughterers and Meat Packers Work?

undefined

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

undefined

Similar Careers

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.

Featured Schools

Find Trade Schools Near You

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