Pay by state · 54 areas
Butcher and Meat Cutter Salary by State (2026)
Butchers and Meat Cutters earn the most in Washington at $51,670 a year and the least in Mississippi at $29,700 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $40,140. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $51,670Washington
- National median
- $40,140BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $29,700Mississippi
- Areas reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for butchers and meat cutters
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, Alaska comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1Washington$51,670
- 2Alaska$50,450
- 3Hawaii$50,080
- 4Oregon$49,360
- 5District of Columbia$48,760
Lowest median pay
- 1Mississippi$29,700
- 2West Virginia$33,570
- 3Arkansas$34,380
- 4Oklahoma$35,070
- 5Kentucky$35,430
All states
Butcher and Meat Cutter salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of butchers and meat cutters OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WAWashington | $51,670 | $45,230 | $60,920 | 2,660 | $48,284 |
| 2 | AKAlaska | $50,450 | $41,210 | $57,600 | 230 | $49,287 |
| 3 | HIHawaii | $50,080 | $41,160 | $59,160 | 500 | $45,548 |
| 4 | OROregon | $49,360 | $45,310 | $55,500 | 1,540 | $47,755 |
| 5 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $48,760 | $39,450 | $59,030 | 150 | $44,367 |
| 6 | MAMassachusetts | $48,430 | $41,740 | $53,340 | 1,480 | $45,794 |
| 7 | NHNew Hampshire | $47,740 | $44,610 | $50,970 | 530 | $45,831 |
| 8 | COColorado | $47,490 | $38,780 | $53,360 | 2,200 | $46,084 |
| 9 | NYNew York | $47,080 | $37,840 | $58,260 | 4,540 | $43,625 |
| 10 | DEDelaware | $47,040 | $40,820 | $53,820 | 250 | $47,130 |
| 11 | WIWisconsin | $45,980 | $37,300 | $49,130 | 3,510 | $48,866 |
| 12 | AZArizona | $45,780 | $37,770 | $50,510 | 2,130 | $45,472 |
| 13 | VTVermont | $45,580 | $36,670 | $48,600 | 370 | $46,530 |
| 14 | RIRhode Island | $45,210 | $35,660 | $53,730 | 260 | $44,202 |
| 15 | WYWyoming | $44,820 | $38,130 | $49,860 | 210 | $48,354 |
| 16 | CTConnecticut | $44,570 | $36,870 | $50,690 | 1,210 | $43,017 |
| 17 | CACalifornia | $44,290 | $37,160 | $57,140 | 18,700 | $40,002 |
| 18 | MDMaryland | $44,130 | $35,060 | $49,550 | 1,500 | $42,045 |
| 19 | MNMinnesota | $43,930 | $36,990 | $50,860 | 1,590 | $44,544 |
| 20 | UTUtah | $43,440 | $36,360 | $45,460 | 1,500 | $43,939 |
| 21 | FLFlorida | $42,790 | $36,160 | $47,260 | 10,590 | $41,377 |
| 22 | INIndiana | $42,440 | $36,400 | $48,810 | 1,850 | $45,474 |
| 23 | MTMontana | $41,600 | $36,430 | $47,720 | 740 | $43,954 |
| 24 | NVNevada | $40,290 | $34,320 | $51,850 | 1,560 | $40,298 |
| 25 | NDNorth Dakota | $40,080 | $36,130 | $47,330 | 470 | $45,054 |
| 26 | TNTennessee | $39,960 | $35,070 | $45,560 | 2,650 | $43,496 |
| 27 | SCSouth Carolina | $39,790 | $36,980 | $45,800 | 2,380 | $42,443 |
| 28 | VAVirginia | $39,770 | $36,180 | $45,540 | 2,630 | $39,336 |
| 29 | MIMichigan | $39,350 | $32,540 | $48,370 | 4,230 | $40,897 |
| 30 | ILIllinois | $39,240 | $36,240 | $47,110 | 7,710 | $39,256 |
| 31 | GAGeorgia | $38,540 | $33,630 | $46,170 | 4,420 | $40,024 |
| 32 | NJNew Jersey | $38,540 | $35,540 | $57,360 | 4,610 | $35,421 |
| 33 | PAPennsylvania | $38,340 | $34,790 | $48,480 | 3,540 | $39,294 |
| 34 | MEMaine | $38,250 | $35,240 | $48,400 | 830 | $39,413 |
| 35 | NCNorth Carolina | $38,240 | $34,460 | $45,160 | 3,120 | $40,540 |
| 36 | IDIdaho | $38,030 | $35,470 | $46,800 | 1,480 | $39,824 |
| 37 | MOMissouri | $37,860 | $30,340 | $48,950 | 2,160 | $41,688 |
| 38 | IAIowa | $37,750 | $34,630 | $43,180 | 4,480 | $43,014 |
| 39 | NENebraska | $37,630 | $31,390 | $47,180 | 1,380 | $41,763 |
| 40 | OHOhio | $37,630 | $28,970 | $47,040 | 5,640 | $40,561 |
| 41 | TXTexas | $37,400 | $28,530 | $46,450 | 11,260 | $38,534 |
| 42 | KSKansas | $37,320 | $31,190 | $45,570 | 1,200 | $41,435 |
| 43 | SDSouth Dakota | $37,310 | $34,970 | $46,470 | 520 | $42,117 |
| 44 | LALouisiana | $36,790 | $28,600 | $43,600 | 2,240 | $41,709 |
| 45 | NMNew Mexico | $36,640 | $33,750 | $47,220 | 810 | $39,735 |
| 46 | ALAlabama | $36,500 | $30,230 | $43,680 | 2,350 | $41,093 |
| 47 | KYKentucky | $35,430 | $28,350 | $41,640 | 1,670 | $39,297 |
| 48 | OKOklahoma | $35,070 | $29,320 | $37,860 | 1,810 | $39,923 |
| 49 | ARArkansas | $34,380 | $29,050 | $39,560 | 1,290 | $39,546 |
| 50 | WVWest Virginia | $33,570 | $28,760 | $36,880 | 600 | $37,510 |
| 51 | MSMississippi | $29,700 | $25,700 | $37,510 | 1,160 | $34,156 |
| 52 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $29,120 | $27,050 | $38,250 | 100 | N/A |
| 53 | GUGuam | $29,110 | $28,250 | $51,880 | 40 | N/A |
| 54 | PRPuerto Rico | $22,780 | $22,110 | $27,980 | 2,180 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For butchers and meat cutters, that changes the ranking: Washington leads on raw pay at $51,670, while Alaska leads once prices are taken into account at $49,287.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Butcher and Meat Cutter pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays butchers and meat cutters the most?
Washington reports the highest median wage for butchers and meat cutters at $51,670 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Alaska ($50,450) and Hawaii ($50,080).
Which state pays butchers and meat cutters the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Mississippi reports the lowest median for butchers and meat cutters at $29,700 a year, $21,970 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $29,120, Guam reports $29,110 and Puerto Rico reports $22,780.
Is the highest-paying state the best for butchers and meat cutters after cost of living?
Not on this data. Washington pays the most on paper ($51,670) but ranks 4th of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($48,284). Alaska leads after that adjustment at $49,287, from a raw median of $50,450. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.