Slaughterers and Meat Packers Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 51-3023 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$40,123
$19.29/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 Slaughterers and Meat Packers is $40,123 per year ($19.29/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $36,150 and $46,883 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $51,085 per year. There are approximately 69,950 slaughterers and meat packers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Perform nonroutine or precision functions involving the preparation of large portions of meat. Work may include specialized slaughtering tasks, cutting standard or premium cuts of meat for marketing, making sausage, or wrapping meats. Work typically occurs in slaughtering, meat packing, or wholesale establishments.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+2.2%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
8K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
70K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
2% from new growth98% 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
63K
$41,300
Food and Beverage Retailers (4451 and 4452 only)
NAICS 4450A1
3K
$34,230
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
2K
$35,560
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only)
NAICS 4240A1
2K
$40,250
Other Food Manufacturing
NAICS 311900
120
$35,340
Wage range across top 5 industries: $34,230 to $41,300 (21% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$16.03
$33,342
P25
$17.38
$36,150
P50MEDIAN
$19.29
$40,123
P75
$22.54
$46,883
P90
$24.56
$51,085
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 slaughterers and meat packers salary?
The national median salary for Slaughterers and Meat Packers is $40,123 per year ($19.29/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $36,150 and $46,883 annually.
How much do top-earning slaughterers and meat packers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Slaughterers and Meat Packers is $51,085 per year ($24.56/hr). The 75th percentile is $46,883 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for slaughterers and meat packers?
Entry-level Slaughterers and Meat Packers (10th percentile) earn approximately $33,342 per year ($16.03/hr). The 25th percentile is $36,150 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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