What do they do?

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

Also known as:

Butcher, Meat Butcher, Meat Clerk, Meat Cutter, Meat Specialist, Meat Trimmer, Meat Wrapper

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Butchers and Meat Cutters is projected to grow 4 percent from 2018 to 2028, more slowly than average compared to all occupations.

Projected Employment in VA

No Data Available
  • 4.7%

    Change

    Ranks #23 in job growth rate
    420

    Job Openings

    Ranks #12 in net job growth

Colleges with the most graduates that become Butchers and Meat Cutters

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Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • Doctorate or Professional Degree (0.1%)
  • Master's degree (0.6%)
  • Bachelor's degree (3.8%)
  • Associate's degree (4.5%)
  • Some college, no degree (17.8%)
  • High school diploma equivalent (43.7%)
  • Less than high school diploma (29.5%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Butchers and Meat Cutters

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People in this career often know a lot about:

  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Food Production - Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
  • Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Prepare meat products for sale or consumption.
  • Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information.
  • Weigh finished products.
  • Cut meat products.
  • Inspect food products.
  • Calculate costs of goods or services.
  • Collect payments for goods or services.
  • Estimate material requirements for production.
  • Order materials, supplies, or equipment.
  • Record operational or production data.
  • Direct operational or production activities.
  • Load items into ovens or furnaces.
  • Confer with customers or designers to determine order specifications.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 26.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

careeronestop logo Videos: CareerOneStop, USDOL/ETA and the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development

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