Slaughterers and Meat Packers: Job Description
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.
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What Do Slaughterers and Meat Packers Perform?
Typical responsibilities of slaughterers and meat packers include:
- 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 combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
These are the skills that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Other Slaughterers and Meat Packers Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Animal Killer
- Animal Sticker
- Animal Stunner
- Beef Killer
- Beef Splitter
- Bitter
- Boning Room Worker
- Brainer
Job Outlook
The U.S. employs around 216,412 slaughterers and meat packers working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +8.3% over the projection horizon.
Slaughterers and Meat Packers Pay
| 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.
Pay by State
| 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 |
Where Slaughterers and Meat Packers Earn the Most
Compensation for slaughterers and meat packers vary by region. Top regions by median wage:
| 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 |
Top Metro Areas
| 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 |
Industry Breakdown
Most slaughterers and meat packers work in 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 |
Below are examples of industries where slaughterers and meat packers work:
Tools and Technology
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
Daily working conditions 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
How to Become Slaughterers and Meat Packers
Typical slaughterers and meat packers positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. The role falls 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
Data on this page comes from 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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