Butchers and Meat Cutters
Cut, trim, or prepare consumer-sized portions of meat for use or sale in retail establishments.
What it pays
Butchers and Meat Cutters earn a median of $19.30/hr — about $40,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $14.17/hr; the top 10% earn $27.94/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Butchers and Meat Cutters earn a median of $19.30/hr — about $40,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $14.17/hr; the top 10% earn $27.94/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Prepare and place meat cuts and products in display counter to appear attractive and catch the shopper's eye.
- Wrap, weigh, label, and price cuts of meat.
- Cut, trim, bone, tie, and grind meats, such as beef, pork, poultry, and fish, to prepare in cooking form.
- Prepare special cuts of meat ordered by customers.
- Receive, inspect, and store meat upon delivery to ensure meat quality.
- Estimate requirements and order or requisition meat supplies to maintain inventories.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Less than high school. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
The feel of the work
The work splits time indoors and out. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 1.8% of butchers and meat cutters are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are hands-on and organized and detail-focused.
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Quick questions
- How much does a butchers and meat cutter make?
- The median pay is $19.30 per hour — roughly $40,000 a year, with the real range running from about $14.17/hr (10th percentile) to $27.94/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a butchers and meat cutter?
- The typical entry-level education is: Less than high school. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
- What does a butchers and meat cutter actually do all day?
- Prepare and place meat cuts and products in display counter to appear attractive and catch the shopper's eye. Wrap, weigh, label, and price cuts of meat. Cut, trim, bone, tie, and grind meats, such as beef, pork, poultry, and fish, to prepare in cooking form.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.