Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020
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 Butchers and Meat Cutters
Industry profile for Butchers and Meat Cutters
Geographic profile for Butchers and Meat Cutters
National estimates for Butchers and Meat Cutters:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Butchers and Meat Cutters:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 142,220 |
3.0 % |
$ 16.65 |
$ 34,630 |
0.8 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Butchers and Meat Cutters:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 10.68 |
$ 12.96 |
$ 15.82 |
$ 19.68 |
$ 24.25 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 22,210 |
$ 26,950 |
$ 32,900 |
$ 40,930 |
$ 50,440 |
Industry profile for Butchers and Meat Cutters:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Butchers and Meat Cutters are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Butchers and Meat Cutters, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Butchers and Meat Cutters:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) |
116,060 |
3.99 |
$ 16.47 |
$ 34,250 |
| Animal Slaughtering and Processing |
8,960 |
1.68 |
$ 16.06 |
$ 33,400 |
| General Merchandise Stores |
8,170 |
0.27 |
$ 18.91 |
$ 39,330 |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only) |
4,770 |
0.50 |
$ 17.24 |
$ 35,860 |
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places |
1,560 |
0.02 |
$ 14.99 |
$ 31,170 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Butchers and Meat Cutters:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) |
116,060 |
3.99 |
$ 16.47 |
$ 34,250 |
| Animal Slaughtering and Processing |
8,960 |
1.68 |
$ 16.06 |
$ 33,400 |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only) |
4,770 |
0.50 |
$ 17.24 |
$ 35,860 |
| General Merchandise Stores |
8,170 |
0.27 |
$ 18.91 |
$ 39,330 |
| Other Food Manufacturing |
190 |
0.08 |
$ 14.31 |
$ 29,750 |
Top paying industries for Butchers and Meat Cutters:
Geographic profile for Butchers and Meat Cutters:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Butchers and Meat Cutters are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Butchers and Meat Cutters, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Butchers and Meat Cutters:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
25,900 |
1.58 |
1.54 |
$ 17.38 |
$ 36,140 |
| Texas |
14,270 |
1.18 |
1.15 |
$ 14.02 |
$ 29,150 |
| New York |
10,650 |
1.22 |
1.20 |
$ 16.76 |
$ 34,850 |
| Florida |
8,500 |
1.01 |
0.99 |
$ 16.99 |
$ 35,340 |
| Illinois |
6,660 |
1.18 |
1.16 |
$ 16.20 |
$ 33,700 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Butchers and Meat Cutters:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Iowa |
2,630 |
1.79 |
1.75 |
$ 13.85 |
$ 28,800 |
| California |
25,900 |
1.58 |
1.54 |
$ 17.38 |
$ 36,140 |
| Montana |
710 |
1.57 |
1.53 |
$ 16.41 |
$ 34,120 |
| Maine |
790 |
1.37 |
1.34 |
$ 17.86 |
$ 37,150 |
| New York |
10,650 |
1.22 |
1.20 |
$ 16.76 |
$ 34,850 |
Top paying states for Butchers and Meat Cutters:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Butchers and Meat Cutters:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
11,840 |
2.03 |
1.99 |
$ 16.63 |
$ 34,600 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
10,150 |
1.15 |
1.12 |
$ 17.35 |
$ 36,080 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
5,120 |
1.17 |
1.15 |
$ 16.69 |
$ 34,710 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
3,970 |
1.11 |
1.08 |
$ 12.84 |
$ 26,710 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
3,060 |
1.03 |
1.01 |
$ 13.50 |
$ 28,090 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
3,000 |
1.14 |
1.12 |
$ 13.96 |
$ 29,030 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
2,580 |
1.84 |
1.80 |
$ 16.48 |
$ 34,280 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
2,270 |
0.91 |
0.89 |
$ 16.28 |
$ 33,860 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
2,170 |
1.22 |
1.19 |
$ 15.82 |
$ 32,910 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
2,130 |
0.91 |
0.89 |
$ 19.80 |
$ 41,170 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Butchers and Meat Cutters:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Corpus Christi, TX |
490 |
2.72 |
2.66 |
$ 13.66 |
$ 28,420 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA |
760 |
2.55 |
2.49 |
$ 16.78 |
$ 34,910 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD |
190 |
2.39 |
2.33 |
$ 12.74 |
$ 26,500 |
| Hattiesburg, MS |
140 |
2.31 |
2.26 |
$ 12.96 |
$ 26,960 |
| Merced, CA |
160 |
2.22 |
2.17 |
$ 16.81 |
$ 34,970 |
| Jackson, MI |
100 |
2.20 |
2.16 |
$ 13.82 |
$ 28,740 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA |
90 |
2.20 |
2.15 |
$ 16.39 |
$ 34,100 |
| Monroe, LA |
150 |
2.14 |
2.09 |
$ 12.90 |
$ 26,830 |
| Niles-Benton Harbor, MI |
120 |
2.11 |
2.06 |
$ 17.20 |
$ 35,770 |
| Danville, IL |
50 |
2.10 |
2.05 |
$ 16.22 |
$ 33,740 |
United States Department of Labor
