Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
51-3022 Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
Use hands or hand tools to perform routine cutting and trimming of meat, poultry, and seafood.
National estimates for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
Industry profile for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
Geographic profile for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
National estimates for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 132,100 |
1.6 % |
$ 15.23 |
$ 31,680 |
0.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 11.15 |
$ 13.69 |
$ 14.29 |
$ 17.75 |
$ 18.18 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 23,190 |
$ 28,470 |
$ 29,730 |
$ 36,920 |
$ 37,820 |
Industry profile for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Animal Slaughtering and Processing |
95,480 |
18.35 |
$ 15.31 |
$ 31,850 |
| Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) |
17,540 |
0.59 |
$ 14.61 |
$ 30,390 |
| Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging |
8,390 |
28.00 |
$ 14.90 |
$ 31,000 |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only) |
4,370 |
0.47 |
$ 17.15 |
$ 35,670 |
| General Merchandise Stores |
740 |
0.02 |
$ 18.54 |
$ 38,570 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging |
8,390 |
28.00 |
$ 14.90 |
$ 31,000 |
| Animal Slaughtering and Processing |
95,480 |
18.35 |
$ 15.31 |
$ 31,850 |
| Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) |
17,540 |
0.59 |
$ 14.61 |
$ 30,390 |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only) |
4,370 |
0.47 |
$ 17.15 |
$ 35,670 |
| Other Food Manufacturing |
380 |
0.16 |
$ 14.06 |
$ 29,250 |
Top paying industries for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers:
Geographic profile for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Georgia |
10,580 |
2.42 |
2.58 |
$ 13.78 |
$ 28,660 |
| Alabama |
10,480 |
5.43 |
5.80 |
$ 12.47 |
$ 25,930 |
| Mississippi |
8,290 |
7.52 |
8.02 |
$ 14.00 |
$ 29,110 |
| California |
7,770 |
0.47 |
0.50 |
$ 15.63 |
$ 32,510 |
| North Carolina |
7,090 |
1.60 |
1.71 |
$ 15.21 |
$ 31,640 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Delaware |
4,490 |
10.31 |
11.00 |
$ 14.02 |
$ 29,150 |
| Alaska |
2,450 |
8.30 |
8.85 |
$ 18.11 |
$ 37,660 |
| Mississippi |
8,290 |
7.52 |
8.02 |
$ 14.00 |
$ 29,110 |
| Nebraska |
6,700 |
6.99 |
7.45 |
$ 17.72 |
$ 36,850 |
| Arkansas |
7,010 |
5.88 |
6.27 |
$ 14.19 |
$ 29,520 |
Top paying states for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Salisbury, MD-DE |
3,590 |
22.99 |
24.52 |
$ 13.96 |
$ 29,050 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
3,390 |
0.59 |
0.63 |
$ 15.59 |
$ 32,430 |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO |
2,870 |
11.74 |
12.52 |
$ 14.91 |
$ 31,000 |
| Gainesville, GA |
2,600 |
28.91 |
30.84 |
$ 13.91 |
$ 28,930 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
2,530 |
0.98 |
1.04 |
$ 14.85 |
$ 30,880 |
| Fort Smith, AR-OK |
2,310 |
22.49 |
23.98 |
$ 12.81 |
$ 26,650 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
1,810 |
0.21 |
0.22 |
$ 15.56 |
$ 32,360 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD |
1,550 |
18.48 |
19.71 |
$ 17.51 |
$ 36,410 |
| Jackson, MS |
1,470 |
6.00 |
6.40 |
$ 13.51 |
$ 28,090 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
1,370 |
0.32 |
0.35 |
$ 17.09 |
$ 35,560 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Gainesville, GA |
2,600 |
28.91 |
30.84 |
$ 13.91 |
$ 28,930 |
| Salisbury, MD-DE |
3,590 |
22.99 |
24.52 |
$ 13.96 |
$ 29,050 |
| Fort Smith, AR-OK |
2,310 |
22.49 |
23.98 |
$ 12.81 |
$ 26,650 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD |
1,550 |
18.48 |
19.71 |
$ 17.51 |
$ 36,410 |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO |
2,870 |
11.74 |
12.52 |
$ 14.91 |
$ 31,000 |
| Harrisonburg, VA |
610 |
9.97 |
10.64 |
$ 15.12 |
$ 31,460 |
| Longview, WA |
320 |
8.32 |
8.88 |
$ 14.87 |
$ 30,940 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA |
300 |
6.32 |
6.74 |
$ 14.79 |
$ 30,760 |
| Jackson, MS |
1,470 |
6.00 |
6.40 |
$ 13.51 |
$ 28,090 |
| Gadsden, AL |
160 |
4.96 |
5.28 |
$ 10.50 |
$ 21,830 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
360 |
0.20 |
0.21 |
$ 19.51 |
$ 40,580 |
| Anchorage, AK |
80 |
0.51 |
0.54 |
$ 19.49 |
$ 40,540 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
770 |
0.34 |
0.37 |
$ 18.62 |
$ 38,730 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
1,020 |
0.39 |
0.42 |
$ 18.31 |
$ 38,090 |
| Barnstable Town, MA |
40 |
0.43 |
0.46 |
$ 18.16 |
$ 37,780 |
| Rochester, NY |
30 |
0.06 |
0.07 |
$ 18.15 |
$ 37,760 |
| La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN |
40 |
0.50 |
0.53 |
$ 18.09 |
$ 37,620 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
160 |
0.15 |
0.16 |
$ 18.04 |
$ 37,510 |
| Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA |
1,200 |
2.58 |
2.75 |
$ 17.76 |
$ 36,940 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
190 |
0.13 |
0.14 |
$ 17.73 |
$ 36,880 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers:
| Nonmetropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Kansas nonmetropolitan area |
4,920 |
13.09 |
13.96 |
$ 18.10 |
$ 37,650 |
| Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area |
3,790 |
26.68 |
28.45 |
$ 11.71 |
$ 24,350 |
| Southeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area |
3,350 |
23.36 |
24.91 |
$ 13.18 |
$ 27,420 |
| Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area |
2,960 |
12.33 |
13.16 |
$ 16.12 |
$ 33,520 |
| Alaska nonmetropolitan area |
2,360 |
24.28 |
25.90 |
$ 18.06 |
$ 37,570 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers:
| Nonmetropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area |
3,790 |
26.68 |
28.45 |
$ 11.71 |
$ 24,350 |
| Alaska nonmetropolitan area |
2,360 |
24.28 |
25.90 |
$ 18.06 |
$ 37,570 |
| Southeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area |
3,350 |
23.36 |
24.91 |
$ 13.18 |
$ 27,420 |
| Southeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area |
1,920 |
22.99 |
24.52 |
$ 12.22 |
$ 25,420 |
| Kansas nonmetropolitan area |
4,920 |
13.09 |
13.96 |
$ 18.10 |
$ 37,650 |
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers:
About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
