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Slaughterers and Meat Packers: Career Overview
Perform nonroutine or precision functions involving the preparation of large portions of meat. Work may include specialized slaughtering tasks, cutting standard or premium cuts of meat for marketing, making sausage, or wrapping meats. Work typically occurs in slaughtering, meat packing, or wholesale establishments.
The Daily Work of Slaughterers and Meat Packers Perform?
Typical responsibilities of slaughterers and meat packers span:
- Remove bones, and cut meat into standard cuts in preparation for marketing.
- Sever jugular veins to drain blood and facilitate slaughtering.
- Tend assembly lines, performing a few of the many cuts needed to process a carcass.
- Shackle hind legs of animals to raise them for slaughtering or skinning.
- Slit open, eviscerate, and trim carcasses of slaughtered animals.
- Stun animals prior to slaughtering.
- Skin sections of animals or whole animals.
- Cut, trim, skin, sort, and wash viscera of slaughtered animals to separate edible portions from offal.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Top slaughterers and meat packers draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The abilities most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Other Slaughterers and Meat Packers Job Titles
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Animal Killer
- Animal Sticker
- Animal Stunner
- Beef Killer
- Beef Splitter
- Bitter
- Boning Room Worker
- Brainer
How Many Slaughterers and Meat Packers Are There?
The U.S. employs around 216,412 slaughterers and meat packers working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +8.3% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Slaughterers and Meat Packers Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $47,691 |
| Hourly median | $22.93 |
| 10th percentile | $28,252 |
| 25th percentile | $37,972 |
| 75th percentile | $57,410 |
| 90th percentile | $67,130 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Slaughterers and Meat Packers Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Nebraska | $48,080 |
| Arizona | $47,470 |
| Kansas | $47,310 |
| Washington | $46,460 |
| Montana | $46,180 |
| Missouri | $44,730 |
| Oklahoma | $44,530 |
| Iowa | $44,400 |
| Massachusetts | $44,140 |
| South Dakota | $43,020 |
| Colorado | $42,780 |
| Michigan | $42,390 |
| North Dakota | $42,220 |
| Minnesota | $41,550 |
| Indiana | $41,230 |
| Texas | $41,230 |
| Kentucky | $41,080 |
| Vermont | $40,860 |
| Illinois | $40,800 |
| Utah | $40,470 |
| Oregon | $40,430 |
| Nevada | $40,420 |
| North Carolina | $39,790 |
| Idaho | $39,770 |
| Maine | $38,950 |
| Louisiana | $38,860 |
| South Carolina | $38,850 |
| California | $38,660 |
| Hawaii | $38,530 |
| Maryland | $37,820 |
| New Hampshire | $37,690 |
| Georgia | $36,680 |
| Wisconsin | $36,620 |
| Virginia | $36,490 |
| Ohio | $36,470 |
| Pennsylvania | $36,450 |
| Rhode Island | $36,400 |
| Tennessee | $35,430 |
| New York | $35,210 |
| Arkansas | $34,780 |
| Mississippi | $34,750 |
| New Jersey | $34,410 |
| Connecticut | $34,240 |
| Alabama | $32,930 |
| Florida | $32,490 |
| Delaware | $29,220 |
| West Virginia | $21,250 |
| Puerto Rico | $20,970 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Earnings for slaughterers and meat packers 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 | $45,320 | 25.8% | 6.10 |
| Southwest | $42,035 | 8.7% | 1.03 |
| Rocky Mountains | $41,445 | 2.3% | 0.76 |
| Far Western US | $39,681 | 12.4% | 0.81 |
| Great Lakes | $39,527 | 16.5% | 1.27 |
| New England | $37,979 | 1.1% | 1.06 |
| Southeast | $37,375 | 24.7% | 2.26 |
| Middle Atlantic | $35,776 | 7.9% | 1.09 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Slaughterers and Meat Packers
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha, NE-IA | NE | $49,630 | 1,120 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | CO | $48,380 | 180 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | IA | $48,080 | 1,120 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | CA | $47,140 | 170 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | MO | $46,340 | 130 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $45,770 | 300 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | MN | $45,230 | |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $44,830 | 150 |
Which Industries Hire Slaughterers and Meat Packers
The largest employers of slaughterers and meat packers are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 62,270 | $40,120 |
| Retail Trade | 2,050 | $33,610 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1,700 | $37,560 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 1,300 | $34,410 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Software Slaughterers and Meat Packers Use
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
Work Environment
The work environment for slaughterers and meat packers tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Spend Time Standing
- Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
Getting Started in This Career
Typical slaughterers and meat packers positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Animal Scientists (Supplemental)
- Food Scientists and Technologists (Supplemental)
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria (Supplemental)
- Cooks, Restaurant (Primary-Long)
- Cooks, Short Order (Supplemental)
- Food Preparation Workers (Primary-Short)
- Animal Breeders (Primary-Long)
- Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products (Primary-Short)
Where to Study
Aspiring slaughterers and meat packers commonly pursue programs in:
Personal and Culinary Services
1 programs across 1 majors
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: 51-3023.00 (Slaughterers and Meat Packers).
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