51
Butchers and Meat Cutters is a notable career in the 51 category. This page provides verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0 (2024), helping you compare Butchers and Meat Cutters against similar careers and make data-driven decisions.
Education Administrators, All Other
11
Personal Service Managers, All Other
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Managers, All Other
11
Buyers and Purchasing Agents
13
Business Operations Specialists, All Other
13
| soc | 51-3021 |
| title | Butchers and Meat Cutters |
| onet code | 51-3021.00 |
| description | Cut, trim, or prepare consumer-sized portions of meat for use or sale in retail establishments. |
| job zone | 2 |
| major group | 51 |
| tot emp | 140,040 |
| a mean | 41,300 |
| a median | 38,960 |
| a pct10 | 28,850 |
| a pct25 | 34,460 |
| a pct75 | 47,200 |
| a pct90 | 57,130 |
| h mean | 19 |
| h median | 18 |
The day-to-day work of a butchers and meat cutters typically centers on prepare and place meat cuts and products in display counter to appear attractive and catch the shopper's eye. 7 of these 8 tasks are Core O*NET duties; the remainder are common supplemental work. Task descriptions below are quoted from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET 29.0 occupation profile.
Workers in this occupation rely most on Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, and Speaking. Across the top 8 skills, the average O*NET importance score is 3.02 out of 5 — moderately weighted for this role. Importance reflects how essential each skill is for adequate job performance.
Among working butchers and meat cutters, the most common entry qualification is a High School Diploma (69.9%). Bachelor's-degree-or-higher credentials are reported by 0% of incumbents. Most workers enter without a four-year degree, making this a relatively accessible career path.
Median annual pay is highest in Hawaii at $50,220 and lowest in Mississippi at $28,590 — a 1.8× spread. The top five states (Hawaii, Massachusetts, Alaska, Washington, District of Columbia) average $48,548. Figures reflect BLS OEWS May 2024 state-level wage estimates; percentiles shown are for full-time wage-earners in each state.
| State | Median | Mean | 10th % | 90th % | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $50,220 | $51,700 | $39,090 | $64,160 | 580 |
| Massachusetts | $48,280 | $50,040 | $37,670 | $65,340 | 1,790 |
| Alaska | $48,240 | $50,250 | $36,300 | $69,740 | 260 |
| Washington | $48,120 | $49,810 | $36,340 | $62,120 | 2,710 |
| District of Columbia | $47,880 | $48,060 | $36,840 | $62,020 | 160 |
| Oregon | $47,290 | $46,640 | $37,050 | $56,610 | 1,490 |
| Delaware | $47,170 | $46,480 | $30,960 | $59,400 | 230 |
| New Hampshire | $46,940 | $46,510 | $37,090 | $55,850 | 500 |
| New York | $46,490 | $48,400 | $35,090 | $65,130 | 4,800 |
| Colorado | $45,760 | $46,340 | $35,940 | $59,530 | 1,820 |
| Maine | $45,460 | $45,130 | $37,060 | $56,840 | 560 |
| Minnesota | $44,410 | $44,520 | $30,760 | $60,270 | 2,160 |
| California | $44,310 | $45,860 | $35,580 | $59,900 | 21,220 |
| Rhode Island | $43,800 | $46,750 | $35,080 | $59,010 | 370 |
| Wyoming | $43,540 | $43,120 | $33,310 | $49,730 | 150 |
| Utah | $41,680 | $41,390 | $31,790 | $47,540 | 1,380 |
| Wisconsin | $41,140 | $42,770 | $29,630 | $57,000 | 3,320 |
| Maryland | $41,040 | $43,510 | $31,200 | $61,140 | 1,240 |
| Vermont | $40,970 | $42,960 | $34,810 | $55,460 | 390 |
| Montana | $40,770 | $42,040 | $29,510 | $55,020 | 780 |
| Connecticut | $39,650 | $44,080 | $34,100 | $63,090 | 1,020 |
| South Carolina | $39,580 | $39,850 | $28,810 | $48,030 | 2,030 |
| Florida | $39,350 | $40,090 | $27,010 | $48,240 | 11,330 |
| North Dakota | $39,260 | $40,460 | $22,570 | $56,250 | 590 |
| Virginia | $39,170 | $42,630 | $31,480 | $57,970 | 2,120 |
| Arizona | $39,160 | $41,820 | $30,080 | $54,340 | 2,220 |
| New Jersey | $38,870 | $44,160 | $31,470 | $63,680 | 4,480 |
| Illinois | $38,530 | $40,910 | $31,650 | $51,640 | 9,000 |
| Idaho | $38,480 | $40,520 | $28,450 | $49,430 | 1,400 |
| Michigan | $38,140 | $39,680 | $28,730 | $51,100 | 4,330 |
| Tennessee | $37,630 | $37,920 | $23,670 | $47,620 | 2,280 |
| Nevada | $37,530 | $39,110 | $27,700 | $52,210 | 1,700 |
| Pennsylvania | $37,490 | $40,730 | $28,590 | $57,240 | 4,050 |
| Indiana | $37,420 | $39,880 | $28,690 | $55,560 | 2,470 |
| Texas | $37,070 | $38,560 | $26,420 | $54,280 | 10,490 |
| Georgia | $37,040 | $37,350 | $26,170 | $47,250 | 4,120 |
| North Carolina | $37,020 | $37,680 | $26,610 | $48,150 | 3,800 |
| Ohio | $36,950 | $37,730 | $26,210 | $48,610 | 5,590 |
| Nebraska | $36,680 | $38,190 | $28,450 | $48,230 | 1,530 |
| Iowa | $36,600 | $36,580 | $29,840 | $43,880 | 4,130 |
| Missouri | $36,490 | $38,950 | $28,240 | $51,880 | 2,150 |
| New Mexico | $36,410 | $39,500 | $28,230 | $50,230 | 940 |
| South Dakota | $35,880 | $39,780 | $32,790 | $52,330 | 620 |
| Kansas | $35,800 | $37,270 | $23,350 | $50,640 | 1,170 |
| Arkansas | $35,650 | $35,450 | $27,270 | $44,870 | 910 |
| Alabama | $34,870 | $34,960 | $22,570 | $47,390 | 2,350 |
| Oklahoma | $33,930 | $34,740 | $27,520 | $45,090 | 1,820 |
| Louisiana | $32,950 | $34,020 | $23,120 | $45,650 | 2,110 |
| Kentucky | $31,360 | $33,910 | $22,690 | $47,350 | 1,500 |
| West Virginia | $28,930 | $31,040 | $22,460 | $44,320 | 530 |
| Mississippi | $28,590 | $30,490 | $21,290 | $41,650 | 1,310 |
Recruiters and job boards use several alternate titles for butchers and meat cutters. Knowing these variants widens your job search — listings for Beef Shoppe Clerk or Blockman frequently describe the same role. The list below is a sample of the most common industry variants.
This data helps you understand how Butchers and Meat Cutters compares to others in the 51 category. Use it to make informed decisions based on verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0.
careers with the closest data values to Butchers and Meat Cutters
The CertifyWize editorial team aggregates and verifies careers data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0. Every statistic on this site is cross-referenced against the official source before publication, with quarterly re-verification cycles.
Read our full methodology or contact us with corrections.
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