Butchers and Meat Cutters
Butchers cut, trim, and package meat for retail sale.
Is butchers and meat cutters a good career?
It scores 10/100 and ranks #689 of 825 occupations on pay, growth, employment and openings. Here's what the federal data says, with no editorializing.
Advantages
- No college degree typically required to enter
Possible tradeoffs
- Pays below the U.S. median wage ($40,140 vs $61,390)
- Slower-than-average projected growth (+1.0%)
What butchers and meat cutters earn
Wages: BLS OEWS May 2025Pay is a range, not a number. Half of U.S. butchers and meat cutters earn between $35,510 and $48,050 a year.
Best-paying states
Best-paying metros
Strongest employment concentration
Live butchers and meat cutters jobs
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- Typical education
- No formal educational credential
- Work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
- Outlook
- Employment is projected to grow slower than average through 2034.
Education
No formal education credential is typically required for becoming a butcher, although some employers may prefer to hire workers who have a high school diploma.
Training
Butchers typically learn their skills on the job, and the length of training varies considerably. Training for simple meat cutting, such as for prepared food items, may take about a week. However, more complicated cutting tasks, such as for specialty cuts of meat from a large animal, generally require training that may last from several months to more than a year.
Training for entry-level workers often begins by having the worker learn less difficult tasks, such as making simple cuts, removing bones, or dividing wholesale cuts into retail portions. Under the guidance of more experienced workers, trainees learn the proper use and care of tools. For example, they learn how to sharpen knives and clean working areas and equipment.
Trainees also may learn how to shape, roll, and tie roasts; make sausage; and cure meat. Employees also receive training in food safety to minimize the risk of foodborne pathogens in meats.
Workers typically enter the occupation as a meat clerk or meat cutter. After gaining experience as a meat cutter and demonstrating proficiency, they may become a butcher.
Some employers or unions may offer apprenticeship programs for butchers.
Licenses, certifications & registrations
Some states and localities require butchers to have a food handler’s certification. Requirements vary.
Butchers who follow religious dietary guidelines for food preparation may be required to undergo more specialized training that leads to certification before becoming endorsed by a religious organization to prepare meat.
Important qualities
Customer-service skills. Butchers who work in retail stores should be courteous, be able to answer customers’ questions, and fill orders to customers’ satisfaction.
Dexterity. Butchers use sharp knives and meatcutting equipment as part of their duties. They must have good hand control in order to make proper cuts of meat that are the right size.
Physical stamina. Butchers spend hours on their feet while cutting, packaging, or storing meat.
Physical strength. Butchers should be able to lift and carry heavy boxes of meat, which may weigh more than 50 pounds.
Related occupations
How much do butchers and meat cutters make?
The national median wage is $40,140 a year, with the middle half earning between $35,510 and $48,050 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Is butchers and meat cutters a good career?
On the Jobs.best index it scores 10 of 100 and ranks #689 of 825 occupations, weighing pay, growth, employment and openings. Employment is projected to change +1.0% through 2034.
What education do you need to become a butchers and meat cutter?
The typical entry-level education is no formal educational credential.
Where do butchers and meat cutters earn the most?
Among states, Washington pays the highest median ($51,670). Local pay for every state and metro is below.