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Occupational Employment Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2016

51-3021 Butchers and Meat Cutters

Cut, trim, or prepare consumer-sized portions of meat for use or sale in retail establishments.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
133,880 1.7 % $15.26 $31,740 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.49 $11.15 $14.36 $18.50 $23.06
Annual Wage (2) $19,750 $23,200 $29,870 $38,470 $47,960

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Grocery Stores 96,660 3.59 $15.11 $31,420
Specialty Food Stores 12,420 5.38 $14.70 $30,570
Animal Slaughtering and Processing 8,930 1.82 $14.75 $30,670
Other General Merchandise Stores 8,050 0.42 $18.12 $37,690
Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers 4,060 0.55 $14.77 $30,720

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Specialty Food Stores 12,420 5.38 $14.70 $30,570
Grocery Stores 96,660 3.59 $15.11 $31,420
Animal Slaughtering and Processing 8,930 1.82 $14.75 $30,670
Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers 4,060 0.55 $14.77 $30,720
Other General Merchandise Stores 8,050 0.42 $18.12 $37,690

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 1,310 0.06 $21.44 $44,590
Other Food Manufacturing 30 0.01 $18.26 $37,990
Other General Merchandise Stores 8,050 0.42 $18.12 $37,690
Traveler Accommodation 140 0.01 $17.87 $37,180
Management of Companies and Enterprises 50 (7) $16.96 $35,280

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 19,080 1.19 1.25 $14.96 $31,120
Texas 9,650 0.82 0.86 $13.14 $27,330
Florida 9,650 1.17 1.23 $14.53 $30,230
Illinois 7,650 1.30 1.36 $14.33 $29,810
Pennsylvania 5,400 0.94 0.99 $15.94 $33,160




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Iowa 3,040 1.98 2.07 $12.18 $25,330
South Dakota 710 1.69 1.77 $14.02 $29,170
Montana 740 1.62 1.70 $15.57 $32,390
Idaho 1,010 1.53 1.60 $15.74 $32,750
Illinois 7,650 1.30 1.36 $14.33 $29,810




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 290 0.41 0.43 $21.61 $44,940
Connecticut 760 0.46 0.48 $20.60 $42,850
Alaska 290 0.90 0.94 $20.46 $42,560
North Dakota 500 1.17 1.23 $20.18 $41,980
Massachusetts 1,970 0.57 0.60 $19.26 $40,070





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division 5,090 1.40 1.47 $14.37 $29,900
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 5,030 1.19 1.25 $13.71 $28,520
New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 4,100 0.62 0.65 $18.60 $38,680
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 2,850 0.97 1.02 $13.01 $27,060
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 2,410 0.95 0.99 $13.96 $29,040
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 1,780 1.28 1.34 $13.53 $28,150
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 1,730 1.27 1.33 $15.33 $31,890
Oakland-Hayward-Berkeley, CA Metropolitan Division 1,630 1.50 1.58 $15.09 $31,380
Newark, NJ-PA Metropolitan Division 1,580 1.36 1.43 $18.18 $37,810
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 1,500 0.62 0.65 $13.60 $28,290