Use hands or hand tools to perform routine cutting and trimming of meat, poultry, and seafood.
National median · BLS
$38,300
▲ +1.59%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$39,280
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
145,700
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.
Pay range for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$29,980
25th
$35,350
Median (50th)
$38,300
75th
$44,170
90th — top pay
$48,150
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
BLS projects employment of meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers to grow 5.7% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations.
About 17,000 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
149,800 → 158,300
+8,500 jobs
Projected change
+5.7%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
17,000
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
No formal educational credential
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
1.2% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers salaries by state
BLS state medians, plus the same figure adjusted for local prices (BEA Regional Price Parities). Tap a state for its full range and H-1B pay.
State
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers salaries by metro area
Search by city, ZIP code or metro name. Tap a metro for its full range.
Metro area
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Skills & tools
Skills needed for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.
Top skills
Active Listening3.1
Critical Thinking3.0
Judgment and Decision Making3.0
Monitoring3.0
Speaking3.0
Coordination2.9
Social Perceptiveness2.9
Time Management2.9
Service Orientation2.8
Instructing2.6
Top knowledge areas
Production and Processing4.0
Food Production4.0
Public Safety and Security3.6
Mathematics3.6
Administration and Management3.4
Mechanical3.3
Personnel and Human Resources3.3
Transportation3.3
Software and technology used
Web browser softwareMicrosoft ExcelMeat inventory softwareSales software
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers do
Use knives, cleavers, meat saws, bandsaws, or other equipment to perform meat cutting and trimming.
Weigh meats and tag containers for weight and contents.
Inspect meat products for defects, bruises or blemishes and remove them along with any excess fat.
Cut and trim meat to prepare for packing.
Separate meats and byproducts into specified containers and seal containers.
Process primal parts into cuts that are ready for retail use.
Prepare ready-to-heat foods by filleting meat or fish or cutting it into bite-sized pieces, preparing and adding vegetables or applying sauces or breading.
Clean, trim, slice, and section carcasses for future processing.
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $38,300.
