Occupation salary profile

Slaughterers and Meat Packers

SOC 51-3023 BLS OEWS May 2025

Perform nonroutine or precision functions involving the preparation of large portions of meat. Work may include specialized slaughtering tasks, cutting standard or premium cuts of meat for marketing, making sausage, or wrapping meats. Work typically occurs in slaughtering, meat packing, or wholesale establishments. Excludes “Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers” (51-3022) who perform routine meat cutting.

National median · BLS
$40,130
▲ +0.85% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$41,770
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
69,950
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Slaughterers and Meat Packers

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay$33,340
25th$36,150
Median (50th)$40,130
75th$46,870
90th — top pay$51,090

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Slaughterers and Meat Packers

BLS projects employment of slaughterers and meat packers to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 7,700 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
71,200 → 72,600
+1,500 jobs
Projected change
+2%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
7,700
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.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need no formal education →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Slaughterers and Meat Packers

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
  • Speaking2.8
  • Active Listening2.6
  • Critical Thinking2.4
  • Social Perceptiveness2.4
  • Monitoring2.3
  • Operations Monitoring2.3
  • Operation and Control2.1
  • Quality Control Analysis2.1
  • Troubleshooting2.1
  • Active Learning2.0
Top knowledge areas
  • Customer and Personal Service3.6
  • Food Production3.4
  • Production and Processing3.3
  • English Language3.1
  • Law and Government2.8
  • Mathematics2.7
  • Administrative2.5
  • Administration and Management2.5
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareAccountMate Software AccountMateAgInfoLink Meat Inventory Tracking System MITSIntegrated Management Systems Food Connex CloudRFID softwareSecond Foundation NaviMeatTraceability 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 slaughterers and meat packers do

  • Remove bones, and cut meat into standard cuts in preparation for marketing.
  • Sever jugular veins to drain blood and facilitate slaughtering.
  • Tend assembly lines, performing a few of the many cuts needed to process a carcass.
  • Shackle hind legs of animals to raise them for slaughtering or skinning.
  • Slit open, eviscerate, and trim carcasses of slaughtered animals.
  • Stun animals prior to slaughtering.
  • Skin sections of animals or whole animals.
  • Cut, trim, skin, sort, and wash viscera of slaughtered animals to separate edible portions from offal.
Also called
Boning Room WorkerMeat PackerMeat ProcessorMeat WrapperMeat PackagerSaw ManSide PullerWrapper
More job titles for this occupation (39)
Animal KillerAnimal StickerAnimal StunnerBeef KillerBeef SplitterBitterBrainerButcherCattle KillerCold Storage WorkerDebonerHalal Meat PackerHog KillerHog SlaughtererHog StickerLive HangerLivestock SlaughtererMeat AssociateMeat ClerkMeat Department AssociateMeat DresserMeat Market AssociatePelt DropperPig StickerPolemanPoultry ProcessorPoultry SlaughtererReligious Ritual SlaughtererSaw OperatorSawyerScriberSeafood ProcessorShactorSheep KillerShochetSlaughtererTank House OperatorThroat CutterWrap Around Facilitator

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.