What You Need to Know About Slaughterer and Meat Packer
Slaughterer & 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.
A Day in the Life of a Slaughterer & Meat Packer
- Shave or singe and defeather carcasses, and wash them in preparation for further processing or packaging.
- Remove bones, and cut meat into standard cuts in preparation for marketing.
- Stun animals prior to slaughtering.
- Wrap dressed carcasses or meat cuts.
- Slit open, eviscerate, and trim carcasses of slaughtered animals.
- Slaughter animals in accordance with religious law, and determine that carcasses meet specified religious standards.
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Slaughterer & Meat Packer Skills
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 and Meat Packer
- Meat Packager
- Beef Splitter
- Throat Cutter
- Meat Cutter
- Meat Wrapper
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. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 10,100 job openings in this field each year.

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.
Salary for a Slaughterer & Meat Packer
Slaughterers and Meat Packers make between $20,810 and $37,480 a year.

Slaughterers and Meat Packers who work in Maryland, Nebraska, or Kansas, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Slaughterers and Meat Packers in different U.S. states.
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 do Slaughterers and Meat Packers Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Slaughterers and Meat Packers may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office
- Data entry software
Becoming a Slaughterer & Meat Packer
What education or degrees do I need to become a Slaughterer and Meat Packer?

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

Where Slaughterers and Meat Packers Are Employed

Below are examples of industries where Slaughterers and Meat Packers work:

Similar Careers
Those interested in being a Slaughterer and Meat Packer may also be interested in:
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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