Butchers and Meat Cutters Salary: $47,051 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 140,040 butchers and meat cutters nationally earn a mean of $47,051. Employment in the series shown rose about 6% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.4% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Butchers and Meat Cutters: what the data shows
Common questions about butchers and meat cutters careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a butchers and meat cutters?
Butchers and Meat Cutters is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-3021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 140,040 workers.
What does a butchers and meat cutters do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Getting Information, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Performing General Physical Activities, Selling or Influencing Others, Controlling Machines and Processes, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a butchers and meat cutters make?
BLS national median annual wage: $38,960 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $47,051 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,504 |
| 25th percentile | $38,402 |
| Median (50th) | $45,461 |
| 75th percentile | $55,044 |
| 90th percentile | $61,456 |
What education do you need?
For Butchers and Meat Cutters, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Time Management, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Food Production, Production and Processing, Sales and Marketing. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is butchers and meat cutters in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.4% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 7.3%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 15.1%.
Current U.S. headcount: 140,040.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do butchers and meat cutterss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 140,040 | 19.9% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 138,780 | 19.8% |
| Retail Trade | 117,950 | 16.8% |
| Food and Beverage Retailers | 104,050 | 14.8% |
| Food and Beverage Retailers (4451 and 4452 only) | 104,010 | 14.8% |
| General Merchandise Retailers | 27,260 | 3.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Butchers and Meat Cutters in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Slaughterers and Meat Packers | 67,500 | $39,790 |
| Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers | 141,090 | $37,700 |
| Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 174,430 | $45,590 |
| Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 8,960 | $37,940 |
| Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 47,540 | $45,700 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Butchers and Meat Cutters workforce.
Employment Over Time
140,040 Workforce in 2023
The Butchers and Meat Cutters workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$47,051 Average Wage
In 2023, Butchers and Meat Cutters earned an average of $47,051.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
Salary distribution for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
Employment Growth Projections
1.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
90,884 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 7.3%
97,520 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 15.1%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.4% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Butchers and Meat Cutters and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Butchers and Meat Cutters employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
Wage Trends by Industry
4.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 21,220 employees, $45,860 avg wage
- FL: 11,330 employees, $40,090 avg wage
- TX: 10,490 employees, $38,560 avg wage
- IL: 9,000 employees, $40,910 avg wage
- OH: 5,590 employees, $37,730 avg wage
- NY: 4,800 employees, $48,400 avg wage
- NJ: 4,480 employees, $44,160 avg wage
- MI: 4,330 employees, $39,680 avg wage
- IA: 4,130 employees, $36,580 avg wage
- GA: 4,120 employees, $37,350 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 7,190 employees, $41,610 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 6,720 employees, $45,100 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 6,390 employees, $47,130 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 3,740 employees, $38,240 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 3,010 employees, $48,480 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 2,910 employees, $38,030 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2,570 employees, $39,370 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 2,360 employees, $38,580 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 2,100 employees, $43,120 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 1,920 employees, $43,610 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
Diversity
Demographic information on Butchers and Meat Cutters in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Butchers and Meat Cutters in 2023 was 140,040 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Butchers and Meat Cutters in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Butchers and Meat Cutters workers.
Education level distribution for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
Skills
Butchers and Meat Cutters need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Time Management, Social Perceptiveness.
Required skills for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Butchers and Meat Cutters include Customer and Personal Service, Food Production, Production and Processing, Sales and Marketing, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Butchers and Meat Cutters include Near Vision, Manual Dexterity, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Control Precision, Oral Expression.
Required abilities for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Butchers and Meat Cutters.
Daily Activities
Butchers and Meat Cutters spend their time on activities such as Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Getting Information, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Performing General Physical Activities, Selling or Influencing Others.
Most important work activities for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
About
Butchers and Meat Cutters
The average yearly wage for Butchers and Meat Cutters was $47,051 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-3021 - Butchers and Meat Cutters
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Butchers and Meat Cutters reports an average salary of $47,051.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 140,040 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.4%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.