SOC 51-3021 · Production Occupations

Butchers and Meat Cutters wages by metro

National median annual wage

$40,140

10th percentile: $29,460
25th percentile: $35,510
Median: $40,140
75th percentile: $48,050
90th percentile: $58,110
Mean: $42,380

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

National employment in May 2025: 136,430.

That median is 21.3% lower than the all-occupations national median of $50,980.

The metro and state figures below are the same May 2025 release. A blank wage means BLS did not publish it. See when a wage is not published.

A welder at work with a torch — A welder at a bench, 2014. Photograph by Chetan Menaria. Wikimedia Commons · CC0

Highest published medians

Metros with the highest published annual medians for Butchers and Meat Cutters.
Occupation	Employment	10th	Median	90th
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	1,300	$40,560	$60,600	$67,430
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA	100	$37,890	$57,930	$67,430
Fairbanks-College, AK	30	$41,020	$57,920	$78,150
Kahului-Wailuku, HI	70	$38,450	$54,980	$70,860
Longview-Kelso, WA	40	$37,000	$53,550	$55,580
Anchorage, AK	110	$35,900	$52,130	$73,630
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	840	$38,860	$51,980	$61,420
El Centro, CA	70	$35,070	$51,960	$62,980
Bend, OR	90	$36,700	$51,690	$60,150
Bellingham, WA	90	$37,070	$50,970	$62,330
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA	60	$37,580	$50,720	$62,780
Barnstable Town, MA	50	$36,410	$50,290	$71,280
Urban Honolulu, HI	330	$34,860	$49,860	$66,190
Grants Pass, OR	40	$38,490	$49,800	$55,530
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA	110	$36,800	$49,790	$67,430
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	790	$40,860	$49,610	$71,740
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA	220	$36,570	$49,320	$57,160
Medford, OR	70	$37,220	$49,210	$56,070
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY	300	$35,220	$49,070	$57,250
Salem, OR	140	$36,870	$49,070	$58,150

Where employment is largest

Metros with the most Butchers and Meat Cutters jobs in the May 2025 tables.
Occupation	Employment	10th	Median	90th
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	6,510	$35,090	$42,400	$59,830
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	6,220	$34,440	$42,470	$68,690
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	5,910	$35,380	$40,410	$52,800
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	3,420	$27,060	$39,140	$50,150
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	3,090	$27,220	$38,040	$49,290
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	2,720	$38,510	$46,490	$61,110
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	2,700	$23,540	$38,120	$56,160
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	2,570	$31,140	$38,910	$47,860
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	1,980	$30,700	$40,810	$59,350
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	1,720	$35,380	$44,870	$59,530
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	1,610	$31,200	$44,160	$64,780
Cleveland, OH	1,550	$27,330	$37,630	$48,970
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	1,540	$30,840	$39,590	$52,220
San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR	1,440	$21,840	$22,810	$29,560
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	1,410	$35,970	$46,040	$57,300
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	1,390	$36,640	$46,790	$59,890
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	1,320	$34,170	$45,220	$49,200
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	1,300	$40,560	$60,600	$67,430
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV	1,220	$29,070	$39,810	$54,130
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	1,150	$39,420	$48,910	$61,930

States and territories

State estimates for Butchers and Meat Cutters, May 2025.
Occupation	Employment	10th	Median	90th
Washington	2,660	$37,560	$51,670	$63,440
Alaska	230	$35,810	$50,450	$71,460
Hawaii	500	$35,020	$50,080	$69,530
Oregon	1,540	$37,220	$49,360	$60,150
District of Columbia	150	$38,140	$48,760	$63,360
Massachusetts	1,480	$38,370	$48,430	$62,120
New Hampshire	530	$38,690	$47,740	$57,510
Colorado	2,200	$33,970	$47,490	$59,210
New York	4,540	$35,980	$47,080	$66,580
Delaware	250	$35,870	$47,040	$58,290
Wisconsin	3,510	$33,170	$45,980	$56,210
Arizona	2,130	$35,010	$45,780	$54,990
Vermont	370	$35,160	$45,580	$59,070
Rhode Island	260	$34,690	$45,210	$59,900
Wyoming	210	$36,630	$44,820	$59,450
Connecticut	1,210	$36,090	$44,570	$60,830
California	18,700	$35,470	$44,290	$61,010
Maryland	1,500	$31,200	$44,130	$59,030
Minnesota	1,590	$34,790	$43,930	$59,540
Utah	1,500	$32,060	$43,440	$53,470
Florida	10,590	$29,640	$42,790	$49,160
Indiana	1,850	$31,510	$42,440	$56,770
Montana	740	$29,760	$41,600	$56,720
Nevada	1,560	$29,070	$40,290	$54,190
North Dakota	470	$22,390	$40,080	$57,160
Tennessee	2,650	$26,520	$39,960	$47,710
South Carolina	2,380	$31,150	$39,790	$47,980
Virginia	2,630	$31,290	$39,770	$55,810
Michigan	4,230	$29,900	$39,350	$50,740
Illinois	7,710	$33,630	$39,240	$52,220
Georgia	4,420	$28,790	$38,540	$48,190
New Jersey	4,610	$32,220	$38,540	$65,940
Pennsylvania	3,540	$29,000	$38,340	$58,130
Maine	830	$34,780	$38,250	$57,670
North Carolina	3,120	$28,510	$38,240	$50,080
Idaho	1,480	$29,570	$38,030	$50,370
Missouri	2,160	$29,280	$37,860	$55,320
Iowa	4,480	$30,200	$37,750	$46,510
Nebraska	1,380	$28,600	$37,630	$49,840
Ohio	5,640	$26,940	$37,630	$50,090
Texas	11,260	$23,760	$37,400	$55,160
Kansas	1,200	$28,330	$37,320	$52,800
South Dakota	520	$33,830	$37,310	$56,060
Louisiana	2,240	$25,120	$36,790	$48,240
New Mexico	810	$29,170	$36,640	$49,930
Alabama	2,350	$26,430	$36,500	$47,960
Kentucky	1,670	$22,890	$35,430	$47,690
Oklahoma	1,810	$26,180	$35,070	$46,340
Arkansas	1,290	$24,920	$34,380	$45,100
West Virginia	600	$23,240	$33,570	$44,550
Mississippi	1,160	$22,060	$29,700	$46,340
Virgin Islands	100	$24,420	$29,120	$45,500
Guam	40	$28,190	$29,110	$59,430
Puerto Rico	2,180	$21,840	$22,780	$29,350

Other production occupations

Questions this page answers

What is the national median wage for Butchers and Meat Cutters?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, the national median annual wage for Butchers and Meat Cutters is $40,140. Employment is 136,430.

How does Butchers and Meat Cutters pay compare with all occupations?

The national median for Butchers and Meat Cutters is 21.3% lower than the all-occupations median of $50,980.

Which metro has the highest published median for Butchers and Meat Cutters?

Among metros with a published annual median in the May 2025 tables, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA is highest on this page's list at $60,600.