Meatcutters and Meat Packers

Meatcutters cut animal carcasses into smaller portions and prepare meat, poultry, and fish for sale in food outlets or for cooking in hotels and restaurants. They work in slaughterhouses, food processing plants, and meat-packing plants. They also work in hotels, restaurants, and retail stores such as supermarkets and groceries that sell fresh meats, where they are referred to as butchers. There are approximately 139,100 butchers and meatcutters employed in the U.S.

Meatpacking workers slaughter, clean, cut, process, and package the meat from cattle, hogs, sheep, and poultry. They also process animal parts for by-products such as margarine, lard, hides, wool, soap, feed, and fertilizer. There are about 72,800 slaughterers and meatpackers employed in the United States.

Salary Range

$25,000 to $75,000

Minimum Education Level

High School Diploma

Certification/License

Required

Outlook

Little Change or More Slowly than the Average

Personality Traits

Athletic

Conventional

Hands On

Career Ladder

Buyer or Meat Department Manager, Supermarket

Manager

Supervisor

Helper, or Laborer, or Apprentice