SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Cut, trim, or prepare consumer-sized portions of meat for use or sale in retail establishments.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 51-3021.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $29,460 | $2,455 | $567 | $14.17 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $35,510 | $2,959 | $683 | $17.07 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $40,140 | $3,345 | $772 | $19.30 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $48,050 | $4,004 | $924 | $23.10 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $58,110 | $4,842 | $1,118 | $27.94 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Butchers and Meat Cutters is $40,140, which is 21% lower. Among the 105 occupations of the field Production, it ranks number 86 by median pay. With 136,430 jobs, it makes up about 8.8 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Butchers and Meat Cutters pay by state
The highest median pay was in Washington ($51,670), Alaska ($50,450) and Hawaii ($50,080). The lowest was in Puerto Rico ($22,780), Guam ($29,110) and Virgin Islands ($29,120). The most jobs were in California (18,700), Texas (11,260) and Florida (10,590). The occupation is most concentrated in Virgin Islands, where its share of all jobs is 3.4 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 2,660 | $51,670 | $52,570 | $24.84 |
| Alaska | 230 | $50,450 | $51,900 | $24.26 |
| Hawaii | 500 | $50,080 | $50,960 | $24.08 |
| Oregon | 1,540 | $49,360 | $49,610 | $23.73 |
| District of Columbia | 150 | $48,760 | $49,360 | $23.44 |
| Massachusetts | 1,480 | $48,430 | $49,210 | $23.29 |
| New Hampshire | 530 | $47,740 | $48,100 | $22.95 |
| Colorado | 2,200 | $47,490 | $47,050 | $22.83 |
| New York | 4,540 | $47,080 | $49,210 | $22.63 |
| Delaware | 250 | $47,040 | $47,830 | $22.61 |
| Wisconsin | 3,510 | $45,980 | $44,210 | $22.11 |
| Arizona | 2,130 | $45,780 | $45,420 | $22.01 |
| Vermont | 370 | $45,580 | $45,140 | $21.92 |
| Rhode Island | 260 | $45,210 | $46,380 | $21.73 |
| Wyoming | 210 | $44,820 | $45,150 | $21.55 |
| Connecticut | 1,210 | $44,570 | $45,920 | $21.43 |
| California | 18,700 | $44,290 | $46,820 | $21.29 |
| Maryland | 1,500 | $44,130 | $44,150 | $21.22 |
| Minnesota | 1,590 | $43,930 | $44,890 | $21.12 |
| Utah | 1,500 | $43,440 | $42,480 | $20.89 |
| Florida | 10,590 | $42,790 | $41,720 | $20.57 |
| Indiana | 1,850 | $42,440 | $43,050 | $20.40 |
| Montana | 740 | $41,600 | $42,690 | $20.00 |
| Nevada | 1,560 | $40,290 | $42,670 | $19.37 |
| North Dakota | 470 | $40,080 | $40,850 | $19.27 |
| Tennessee | 2,650 | $39,960 | $39,550 | $19.21 |
| South Carolina | 2,380 | $39,790 | $40,620 | $19.13 |
| Virginia | 2,630 | $39,770 | $41,650 | $19.12 |
| Michigan | 4,230 | $39,350 | $41,010 | $18.92 |
| Illinois | 7,710 | $39,240 | $41,980 | $18.86 |
| Georgia | 4,420 | $38,540 | $39,320 | $18.53 |
| New Jersey | 4,610 | $38,540 | $45,610 | $18.53 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,540 | $38,340 | $41,780 | $18.43 |
| Maine | 830 | $38,250 | $42,380 | $18.39 |
| North Carolina | 3,120 | $38,240 | $39,570 | $18.38 |
| Idaho | 1,480 | $38,030 | $40,610 | $18.28 |
| Missouri | 2,160 | $37,860 | $40,810 | $18.20 |
| Iowa | 4,480 | $37,750 | $38,450 | $18.15 |
| Nebraska | 1,380 | $37,630 | $39,880 | $18.09 |
| Ohio | 5,640 | $37,630 | $38,880 | $18.09 |
| Texas | 11,260 | $37,400 | $38,360 | $17.98 |
| Kansas | 1,200 | $37,320 | $39,320 | $17.94 |
| South Dakota | 520 | $37,310 | $41,060 | $17.94 |
| Louisiana | 2,240 | $36,790 | $36,940 | $17.69 |
| New Mexico | 810 | $36,640 | $40,260 | $17.62 |
| Alabama | 2,350 | $36,500 | $37,130 | $17.55 |
| Kentucky | 1,670 | $35,430 | $35,390 | $17.03 |
| Oklahoma | 1,810 | $35,070 | $35,070 | $16.86 |
| Arkansas | 1,290 | $34,380 | $34,860 | $16.53 |
| West Virginia | 600 | $33,570 | $33,250 | $16.14 |
| Mississippi | 1,160 | $29,700 | $32,860 | $14.28 |
| Virgin Islands | 100 | $29,120 | $32,760 | $14.00 |
| Guam | 40 | $29,110 | $38,380 | $14.00 |
| Puerto Rico | 2,180 | $22,780 | $25,310 | $10.95 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders$41,590 a year
- Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders$41,330 a year
- Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators$40,610 a year
- Slaughterers and Meat Packers$40,130 a year
- Production Workers, All Other$40,110 a year
- Food Processing Workers, All Other$39,680 a year
Common questions
How much do Butchers and Meat Cutters earn in the United States?
The median pay was $40,140 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $29,460 and the highest-paid 10% more than $58,110.
How many people work as Butchers and Meat Cutters?
About 136,430 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.