The median pay for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers is $38,300 a year ($18.41/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 5.7% through 2035, with about 17,000 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: No formal educational credential.
- SOC 51-3022
- Production
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter and Trimmer in four numbers
- Median pay
- $38,300a year, or $18.41/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $30KTop 10% $48K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +5.7%Faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+5.7%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +5.7% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 17,000149,800 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025149.8K
- Projected 2035158.3K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 149.8K Projected 2035 158.3K - Typical education
- No formal credentialneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Less than high school62.4%
- High school36.3%
- Doctorate1.3%
Highest education held by meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers Segment Value Less than high school 62.4% High school 36.3% Doctorate 1.3%
Also advertised as: Beef Trimmer, Breast Trimmer, Chicken Cutter, Deboner, Fish Processor, Meat Cutter.
Pay
How much do Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers make?
Every meat, poultry, and fish cutter and trimmer in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$38,300
Middle half earn $35,350 to $44,170
- 10th
- $29,980
- 25th
- $35,350
- 75th
- $44,170
- 90th
- $48,150
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $29,980 |
| 25th | $35,350 |
| Median | $38,300 |
| 75th | $44,170 |
| 90th | $48,150 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $38,300
- Median hourly wage
- $18.41/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $39,280
- People employed
- 145,700
Versus all US occupations
At $38,300, Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers earn 25% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $12,680 a year.
Versus production occupations
Inside the Production group, where the middle occupation pays $48,030, this is 20% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $48,150 or more while the bottom 10% earn $29,980, a gap of 1.6×. That is a narrow spread, so experience and employer move pay less than in most occupations.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 6% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Colorado posts the highest raw median ($50,390), but once local prices are taken into account Kansas leads at $53,382 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Colorado | $50,390 | $48,898 | 2,470 |
| 2Arizona | $48,550 | $48,224 | 620 |
| 3Kansas | $48,080 | $53,382 | 5,000 |
| 4Nebraska | $47,580 | $52,806 | 8,340 |
| 5New Hampshire | $47,260 | $45,370 | N/A |
| 6North Dakota | $47,250 | $53,114 | 390 |
| 7Michigan | $44,430 | $46,177 | 920 |
| 8South Dakota | $44,290 | $49,997 | 2,080 |
| 9Utah | $44,150 | $44,657 | 1,080 |
| 10Minnesota | $43,400 | $44,007 | 3,790 |
Job outlook
Is Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter and Trimmer a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Faster than average. +5.7% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers | +5.7% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers to change 5.7% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 8,500 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 17,000 openings are projected each year, 11.3% of the 149,800 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of meat, poultry, and fish processing workers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2025 to 2035, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Long-term food purchasing patterns have trended towards more pre-made and pre-packaged meat products and cuts. This trend is expected to continue over the decade, which may limit employment growth for butchers and meat cutters.
However, demand for pre-packaged meat products and cuts is expected to support employment opportunities for meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers. This occupation requires dexterity to complete tasks like deboning and is not easily automated.
Getting in
How to become a Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter and Trimmer
Meat, poultry, and fish processing workers typically need no formal educational credential to enter the occupation. They learn their skills through on-the-job training.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
No formal educational credential
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Little or no preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers.
- Less than a High School Diploma62.4%
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)36.3%
- Doctoral Degree1.3%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Less than a High School Diploma | 62.4% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 36.3% |
| Doctoral Degree | 1.3% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter and Trimmer do?
Use hands or hand tools to perform routine cutting and trimming of meat, poultry, and seafood.
Meat, poultry, and fish processing workers cut, trim, and prepare meat and seafood for wholesale and retail sale.
Day-to-day tasks
- Inspect meat products for defects, bruises or blemishes and remove them along with any excess fat.
- Cut and trim meat to prepare for packing.
- Use knives, cleavers, meat saws, bandsaws, or other equipment to perform meat cutting and trimming.
- Separate meats and byproducts into specified containers and seal containers.
- Weigh meats and tag containers for weight and contents.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Most meat, poultry, and fish processing workers work full time. Some work early mornings, late evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeOn their feet more than half the working day.
Bending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the timeRegular bending or twisting.
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Schedules: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition. Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening3.1
- Speaking3.0
- Critical Thinking3.0
- Monitoring3.0
- Reading Comprehension2.4
- Active Learning2.4
- Mathematics2.3
- Learning Strategies2.3
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.1 |
| Speaking | 3.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 2.4 |
| Active Learning | 2.4 |
| Mathematics | 2.3 |
| Learning Strategies | 2.3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Social Perceptiveness2.9
- Coordination2.9
- Time Management2.9
- Service Orientation2.8
- Instructing2.6
- Management of Personnel Resources2.6
- Operations Monitoring2.5
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.9 |
| Coordination | 2.9 |
| Time Management | 2.9 |
| Service Orientation | 2.8 |
| Instructing | 2.6 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 2.6 |
| Operations Monitoring | 2.5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Internet browser software
- Inventory management software
- Point of sale POS software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter and Trimmer?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter and Trimmer |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 7 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 1 |
| Enterprising | 1 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Realistic7.0
- Conventional3.9
- Investigative1.8
- Enterprising1.4
- Social1.4
- Artistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter and Trimmer
O*NET related occupations
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- Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
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$35,730median a year
Most earn $30K to $44K
−3.4%No formal credential - Production
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$36,670median a year
Most earn $27K to $54K
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$44,810median a year
Most earn $33K to $63K
+0.4%No formal credential
More production careers
Median annual pay, with meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers highlighted
- Power Plant Operator$102,040
- Tool and Die Maker$64,050
- Machinist$58,750
- Welder$53,750
- Structural Metal Fabricator and Fitter$51,330
- Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operator$50,690
- Butcher and Meat Cutter$40,140
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter and Trimmer$38,300
- Baker$37,160
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Power Plant Operator | $102,040 |
| Tool and Die Maker | $64,050 |
| Machinist | $58,750 |
| Welder | $53,750 |
| Structural Metal Fabricator and Fitter | $51,330 |
| Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operator | $50,690 |
| Butcher and Meat Cutter | $40,140 |
| Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter and Trimmer | $38,300 |
| Baker | $37,160 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter and Trimmer appears on
Questions
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter and Trimmer: frequently asked questions
How much do Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers make?
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers earn a median of $38,300 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 25% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $18.41/hr. The middle half earn between $35,350 and $44,170. The top 10% earn $48,150 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter and Trimmer?
No. BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry requirement for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as little or no preparation. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 62.4% hold less than a high school diploma.
Is Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter and Trimmer a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5.7% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 17,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter and Trimmer do?
Meat, poultry, and fish processing workers cut, trim, and prepare meat and seafood for wholesale and retail sale. A core O*NET task: inspect meat products for defects, bruises or blemishes and remove them along with any excess fat. Employers most often ask for Spreadsheet software.
Which states pay Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers the most?
The highest state medians for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers are Colorado ($50,390), Arizona ($48,550), Kansas ($48,080) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Kansas moves to the top at $53,382.
What personality type suits a Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutter and Trimmer?
O*NET scores Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers highest on the Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.