Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 51-3022 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$38,293
$18.41/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers is $38,293 per year ($18.41/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $35,360 and $44,179 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $48,152 per year. There are approximately 145,700 meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Use hands or hand tools to perform routine cutting and trimming of meat, poultry, and seafood.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+5.5%
Faster than average
Annual openings
18K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
147K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
4% from new growth96% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
No formal educational credential
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Animal Slaughtering and Processing
NAICS 311600
105K
$39,240
Food and Beverage Retailers (4451 and 4452 only)
NAICS 4450A1
20K
$35,900
Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging
NAICS 311700
8K
$36,840
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only)
NAICS 4240A1
6K
$39,520
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
5K
$35,390
Wage range across top 5 industries: $35,390 to $39,520 (12% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$14.42
$29,994
P25
$17.00
$35,360
P50MEDIAN
$18.41
$38,293
P75
$21.24
$44,179
P90
$23.15
$48,152
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · manufacturing sector
Stable
Openings Rate
3.5%
Quits Rate
1.4%
Manufacturing openings ticked up to 462K (+19K) in March, with the rate at 3.5%. Hires rose to 310K. The sector has stabilized after late-2025 softening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers salary?
The national median salary for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers is $38,293 per year ($18.41/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $35,360 and $44,179 annually.
How much do top-earning meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers is $48,152 per year ($23.15/hr). The 75th percentile is $44,179 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers?
Entry-level Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers (10th percentile) earn approximately $29,994 per year ($14.42/hr). The 25th percentile is $35,360 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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