Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
Median $38,300
Occupation · SOC 51-3021
Butchers and Meat Cutters: pay and where the jobs are
What butchers and meat cutters earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$40,140 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $42,380
- Median hourly wage
- $19.30
- Mean hourly wage
- $20.37
- Employment
- 136,430
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-3021.
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See where your pay falls among butchers and meat cutters nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do butchers and meat cutters make?
The median annual wage for butchers and meat cutters was $40,140 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $29,460 and the highest-paid 10% more than $58,110. As an hourly rate, the median is $19.30. About 136,430 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Washington ($51,670), Alaska ($50,450) and Hawaii ($50,080). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Alaska.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for butchers and meat cutters looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $29,460 | $14.17 | $2,455 | $2,154 |
| 25th percentile | $35,510 | $17.07 | $2,959 | $2,559 |
| Median | $40,140 | $19.30 | $3,345 | $2,869 |
| 75th percentile | $48,050 | $23.10 | $4,004 | $3,399 |
| 90th percentile | $58,110 | $27.94 | $4,843 | $4,073 |
Butchers and Meat Cutters: pay by state
54 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$41,486 take-home in national prices
2
$41,205 take-home in national prices
3
$40,163 take-home in national prices
Where a median butchers and meat cutter paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 2,660 | $51,670 | $37,560 | $63,440 | $42,980 | $40,163 |
| Alaska | 230 | $50,450 | $35,810 | $71,460 | $42,464 | $41,486 |
| Hawaii | 500 | $50,080 | $35,020 | $69,530 | $40,138 | $36,506 |
| Oregon | 1,540 | $49,360 | $37,220 | $60,150 | $38,390 | $37,141 |
| District of Columbia | 150 | $48,760 | $38,140 | $63,360 | $39,599 | $36,032 |
| Massachusetts | 1,480 | $48,430 | $38,370 | $62,120 | $38,669 | $36,564 |
| New Hampshire | 530 | $47,740 | $38,690 | $57,510 | $40,539 | $38,918 |
| Colorado | 2,200 | $47,490 | $33,970 | $59,210 | $38,748 | $37,601 |
| New York | 4,540 | $47,080 | $35,980 | $66,580 | $37,829 | $35,052 |
| Delaware | 250 | $47,040 | $35,870 | $58,290 | $37,855 | $37,927 |
| Wisconsin | 3,510 | $45,980 | $33,170 | $56,210 | $37,746 | $40,115 |
| Arizona | 2,130 | $45,780 | $35,010 | $54,990 | $38,213 | $37,957 |
| Vermont | 370 | $45,580 | $35,160 | $59,070 | $37,710 | $38,497 |
| Rhode Island | 260 | $45,210 | $34,690 | $59,900 | $36,930 | $36,107 |
| Wyoming | 210 | $44,820 | $36,630 | $59,450 | $38,193 | $41,205 |
| Connecticut | 1,210 | $44,570 | $36,090 | $60,830 | $36,013 | $34,759 |
| California | 18,700 | $44,290 | $35,470 | $61,010 | $36,437 | $32,909 |
| Maryland | 1,500 | $44,130 | $31,200 | $59,030 | $35,908 | $34,212 |
| Minnesota | 1,590 | $43,930 | $34,790 | $59,540 | $35,753 | $36,253 |
| Utah | 1,500 | $43,440 | $32,060 | $53,470 | $35,789 | $36,200 |
| Florida | 10,590 | $42,790 | $29,640 | $49,160 | $36,562 | $35,355 |
| Indiana | 1,850 | $42,440 | $31,510 | $56,770 | $35,058 | $37,564 |
| Montana | 740 | $41,600 | $29,760 | $56,720 | $34,407 | $36,354 |
| Nevada | 1,560 | $40,290 | $29,070 | $54,190 | $34,553 | $34,560 |
| North Dakota | 470 | $40,080 | $22,390 | $57,160 | $34,384 | $38,652 |
| Tennessee | 2,650 | $39,960 | $26,520 | $47,710 | $34,288 | $37,322 |
| South Carolina | 2,380 | $39,790 | $31,150 | $47,980 | $33,658 | $35,902 |
| Virginia | 2,630 | $39,770 | $31,290 | $55,810 | $32,663 | $32,306 |
| Michigan | 4,230 | $39,350 | $29,900 | $50,740 | $32,376 | $33,649 |
| Illinois | 7,710 | $39,240 | $33,630 | $52,220 | $31,912 | $31,925 |
| Georgia | 4,420 | $38,540 | $28,790 | $48,190 | $31,972 | $33,203 |
| New Jersey | 4,610 | $38,540 | $32,220 | $65,940 | $32,190 | $29,585 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,540 | $38,340 | $29,000 | $58,130 | $31,782 | $32,573 |
| Maine | 830 | $38,250 | $34,780 | $57,670 | $31,722 | $32,686 |
| North Carolina | 3,120 | $38,240 | $28,510 | $50,080 | $31,889 | $33,807 |
| Idaho | 1,480 | $38,030 | $29,570 | $50,370 | $31,830 | $33,332 |
| Missouri | 2,160 | $37,860 | $29,280 | $55,320 | $31,758 | $34,970 |
| Iowa | 4,480 | $37,750 | $30,200 | $46,510 | $31,729 | $36,154 |
| Nebraska | 1,380 | $37,630 | $28,600 | $49,840 | $31,583 | $35,052 |
| Ohio | 5,640 | $37,630 | $26,940 | $50,090 | $31,831 | $34,311 |
| Texas | 11,260 | $37,400 | $23,760 | $55,160 | $32,231 | $33,208 |
| Kansas | 1,200 | $37,320 | $28,330 | $52,800 | $30,884 | $34,289 |
| South Dakota | 520 | $37,310 | $33,830 | $56,060 | $32,159 | $36,302 |
| Louisiana | 2,240 | $36,790 | $25,120 | $48,240 | $31,023 | $35,171 |
| New Mexico | 810 | $36,640 | $29,170 | $49,930 | $31,012 | $33,631 |
| Alabama | 2,350 | $36,500 | $26,430 | $47,960 | $30,033 | $33,812 |
| Kentucky | 1,670 | $35,430 | $22,890 | $47,690 | $29,526 | $32,748 |
| Oklahoma | 1,810 | $35,070 | $26,180 | $46,340 | $29,326 | $33,385 |
| Arkansas | 1,290 | $34,380 | $24,920 | $45,100 | $29,020 | $33,380 |
| West Virginia | 600 | $33,570 | $23,240 | $44,550 | $28,313 | $31,636 |
| Mississippi | 1,160 | $29,700 | $22,060 | $46,340 | $25,588 | $29,427 |
| Virgin Islands | 100 | $29,120 | $24,420 | $45,500 | — | — |
| Guam | 40 | $29,110 | $28,190 | $59,430 | — | — |
| Puerto Rico | 2,180 | $22,780 | $21,840 | $29,350 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-3021. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.