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Summary

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Video transcript available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL-g0Lvw3g8.
Quick Facts: Butchers
2022 Median Pay $36,930 per year
$17.76 per hour
Typical Entry-Level Education No formal educational credential
Work Experience in a Related Occupation None
On-the-job Training Long-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2022 131,600
Job Outlook, 2022-32 -1% (Little or no change)
Employment Change, 2022-32 -1,600

What Butchers Do

Butchers cut, trim, and package meat for retail sale.

Work Environment

Most butchers work in grocery stores and specialty meat shops. The work can be physically demanding and may include exposure to repetitive motions, dangerous equipment, and cold temperatures.

How to Become a Butcher

Butchers typically need no formal educational credential. They learn their skills on the job.

Pay

The median annual wage for butchers was $36,930 in May 2022.

Job Outlook

Employment of butchers is projected to show little or no change from 2022 to 2032.

Despite limited employment growth, about 15,300 openings for butchers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

State & Area Data

Explore resources for employment and wages by state and area for butchers.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of butchers with similar occupations.

More Information, Including Links to O*NET

Learn more about butchers by visiting additional resources, including O*NET, a source on key characteristics of workers and occupations.

What Butchers Do About this section

butchers and meat cutters image
Butchers cut meat for display and retail sale.

Butchers cut, trim, and package meat for retail sale.

Duties

Butchers typically do the following:

  • Receive, inspect, and store meat upon delivery
  • Sharpen knives and adjust cutting equipment
  • Cut, debone, or grind pieces of meat, including preparing orders to customers’ specifications
  • Weigh and wrap meat or meat products for display or to fulfill customers’ orders
  • Clean equipment and work areas to maintain health and sanitation standards
  • Store meats in refrigerators or freezers at the required temperature
  • Monitor inventory and sales trends and order meat

Butchers cut and trim meat from larger, wholesale portions into steaks, chops, roasts, and other cuts. They then prepare meat for sale by doing various tasks, such as weighing meat, wrapping it, and putting it out for display. In retail stores, they also wait on customers and prepare special cuts of meat upon request.

Butchers use equipment such as knives, grinders, and meat saws. They follow sanitation standards while working and when cleaning equipment, countertops, and working areas in order to prevent meat contamination.

Butchers also keep track of inventory and determine what to stock, especially in anticipation of seasonal demands such as grilling meats for summer and turkeys for Thanksgiving. Butchers must also track inventory and sales to limit waste by determining which items have not sold well. They also order supplies and have other duties, including maintaining records for purposes of federal safety and inspection.

Work Environment About this section

butchers and meat cutters image
Butchers often lift and move heavy carcasses.

Butchers held about 131,600 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of butchers were as follows:

Grocery and specialty food retailers 77%
General merchandise retailers 9
Animal slaughtering and processing 7
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods 3
Restaurants and other eating places 1

The work may be physically demanding, particularly for butchers who make repetitive cuts. Butchers typically stand while cutting meat and often lift and move heavy carcasses or boxes of meat supplies.

Because meat must be kept at cool temperatures, butchers commonly work in cold rooms—typically around 40 degrees Fahrenheit—for extended periods.

Butchers must keep their hands and working areas clean to prevent contamination, and those working in retail settings must remain presentable to customers.

Injuries and Illnesses

Butchers have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations. These workers use dangerous tools, such as sharp knives and meat saws, and work in areas with slippery floors and surfaces. To reduce the risk of cuts and falls, workers wear protective clothing, such as cut-resistant gloves, heavy aprons, and nonslip footwear.

Work Schedules

Most butchers work full time. Some work early mornings, late evenings, weekends, and holidays.

How to Become a Butcher About this section

butchers and meat cutters image
Butchers typically learn their skills on the job.

Butchers typically need no formal educational credential to enter the occupation. They learn their skills through on-the-job training.

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, and Registrations

Some states and localities require butchers to have a food handler’s certification. Requirements vary. For more information, contact your state or local licensing board.

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.

Pay About this section

Butchers

Median annual wages, May 2022

Total, all occupations

$46,310

Butchers and meat cutters

$36,930

Food processing workers

$35,320

 

The median annual wage for butchers was $36,930 in May 2022. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $26,030, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $51,180.

In May 2022, the median annual wages for butchers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

Restaurants and other eating places $41,600
General merchandise retailers 41,600
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods 39,560
Animal slaughtering and processing 37,710
Grocery and specialty food retailers 36,210

Most butchers work full time. Some work early mornings, late evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Job Outlook About this section

Butchers

Percent change in employment, projected 2022-32

Total, all occupations

3%

Food processing workers

3%

Butchers and meat cutters

-1%

 

Employment of butchers is projected to show little or no change from 2022 to 2032.

Despite limited employment growth, about 15,300 openings for butchers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Employment

Long-term food purchasing patterns have trended towards more pre-made and pre-packaged meat products and cuts. This trend is expected to continue over the decade, which may limit employment demand for butchers and meat cutters.

Employment projections data for butchers, 2022-32
Occupational Title SOC Code Employment, 2022 Projected Employment, 2032 Change, 2022-32 Employment by Industry
Percent Numeric

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program

Butchers and meat cutters

51-3021 131,600 130,100 -1 -1,600 Get data

State & Area Data About this section

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)

The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program produces employment and wage estimates annually for over 800 occupations. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. The link(s) below go to OEWS data maps for employment and wages by state and area.

Projections Central

Occupational employment projections are developed for all states by Labor Market Information (LMI) or individual state Employment Projections offices. All state projections data are available at www.projectionscentral.org. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. In addition, states may produce projections for areas; there are links to each state’s websites where these data may be retrieved.

CareerOneStop

CareerOneStop includes hundreds of occupational profiles with data available by state and metro area. There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code.

Similar Occupations About this section

This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of butchers.

Occupation Job Duties ENTRY-LEVEL EDUCATION Help on Entry-Level Education 2022 MEDIAN PAY Help on Median Pay
Chefs and head cooks Chefs and Head Cooks

Chefs and head cooks oversee the daily food preparation at restaurants and other places where food is served.

High school diploma or equivalent $56,520
Food and tobacco processing workers Food Processing Equipment Workers

Food processing equipment workers operate machinery that mixes, cooks, or processes ingredients for manufacturing food products.

See How to Become One $36,190
Food preparation workers Food Preparation Workers

Food preparation workers perform a variety of tasks other than cooking, such as slicing meat and brewing coffee.

No formal educational credential $29,790

Contacts for More Information About this section

For details about apprenticeships or other work opportunities in this occupation, contact the offices of the state employment service, the state apprenticeship agency, local unions, or firms that employ butchers. Apprenticeship information is available from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship program online or by phone at 877-872-5627. Visit Apprenticeship.gov to search for apprenticeship opportunities.

For information about the meat-processing industry and related trends, visit

North American Meat Institute

Occupational Requirements Survey

For a profile highlighting selected BLS data on occupational requirements, see

Butchers and meat cutters (PDF)

CareerOneStop

For a career video on butchers, visit

Butchers and meat cutters

O*NET

Butchers and Meat Cutters

Suggested citation:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Butchers,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/butchers-and-meat-cutters.htm (visited February 23, 2024).

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, September 6, 2023

What They Do

The What They Do tab describes the typical duties and responsibilities of workers in the occupation, including what tools and equipment they use and how closely they are supervised. This tab also covers different types of occupational specialties.

Work Environment

The Work Environment tab includes the number of jobs held in the occupation and describes the workplace, the level of physical activity expected, and typical hours worked. It may also discuss the major industries that employed the occupation. This tab may also describe opportunities for part-time work, the amount and type of travel required, any safety equipment that is used, and the risk of injury that workers may face.

How to Become One

The How to Become One tab describes how to prepare for a job in the occupation. This tab can include information on education, training, work experience, licensing and certification, and important qualities that are required or helpful for entering or working in the occupation.

Pay

The Pay tab describes typical earnings and how workers in the occupation are compensated—annual salaries, hourly wages, commissions, tips, or bonuses. Within every occupation, earnings vary by experience, responsibility, performance, tenure, and geographic area. For most profiles, this tab has a table with wages in the major industries employing the occupation. It does not include pay for self-employed workers, agriculture workers, or workers in private households because these data are not collected by the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, the source of BLS wage data in the OOH.

State & Area Data

The State and Area Data tab provides links to state and area occupational data from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, state projections data from Projections Central, and occupational information from the Department of Labor's CareerOneStop.

Job Outlook

The Job Outlook tab describes the factors that affect employment growth or decline in the occupation, and in some instances, describes the relationship between the number of job seekers and the number of job openings.

Similar Occupations

The Similar Occupations tab describes occupations that share similar duties, skills, interests, education, or training with the occupation covered in the profile.

Contacts for More Information

The More Information tab provides the Internet addresses of associations, government agencies, unions, and other organizations that can provide additional information on the occupation. This tab also includes links to relevant occupational information from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET).

2022 Median Pay

The wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. Median wage data are from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey. In May 2022, the median annual wage for all workers was $46,310.

On-the-job Training

Additional training needed (postemployment) to attain competency in the skills needed in this occupation.

Entry-level Education

Typical level of education that most workers need to enter this occupation.

Work experience in a related occupation

Work experience that is commonly considered necessary by employers, or is a commonly accepted substitute for more formal types of training or education.

Number of Jobs, 2022

The employment, or size, of this occupation in 2022, which is the base year of the 2022-32 employment projections.

Job Outlook, 2022-32

The projected percent change in employment from 2022 to 2032. The average growth rate for all occupations is 3 percent.

Employment Change, 2022-32

The projected numeric change in employment from 2022 to 2032.

Entry-level Education

Typical level of education that most workers need to enter this occupation.

On-the-job Training

Additional training needed (postemployment) to attain competency in the skills needed in this occupation.

Employment Change, projected 2022-32

The projected numeric change in employment from 2022 to 2032.

Growth Rate (Projected)

The percent change of employment for each occupation from 2022 to 2032.

Projected Number of New Jobs

The projected numeric change in employment from 2022 to 2032.

Projected Growth Rate

The projected percent change in employment from 2022 to 2032.

2022 Median Pay

The wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. Median wage data are from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey. In May 2022, the median annual wage for all workers was $46,310.