Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
Use hands or hand tools to perform routine cutting and trimming of meat, poultry, and seafood.
Also called: Beef Trimmer · Breast Trimmer · Chicken Cutter · Deboner · Fish Processor · Meat Cutter
Median pay (national)
$37,700
$29,200–$48,680 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
141,090
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+5.5%
~18,400 openings/yr
Typical entry
No formal educational credential
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers shows a relatively narrow range: the top 10% earn $48,680 versus $29,200 at the bottom 10% — 1.7x. The median of $37,700 leaves roughly 29% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +5.5% from 2024 to 2034 — faster than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 18,400 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 51 states with released data, Nebraska pays the most for this role (median $47,900, +27% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $20,430 — a 134% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Web browser software as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
- Mathematics
- Learning Strategies
- Writing
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Use knives, cleavers, meat saws, bandsaws, or other equipment to perform meat cutting and trimming.
- Inspect meat products for defects, bruises or blemishes and remove them along with any excess fat.
- Weigh meats and tag containers for weight and contents.
- Cut and trim meat to prepare for packing.
- Separate meats and byproducts into specified containers and seal containers.
- Clean, trim, slice, and section carcasses for future processing.
- Remove parts, such as skin, feathers, scales or bones, from carcass.
- Process primal parts into cuts that are ready for retail use.
- Prepare ready-to-heat foods by filleting meat or fish or cutting it into bite-sized pieces, preparing and adding vegetables or applying sauces or breading.
- Produce hamburger meat and meat trimmings.
Tools & technology
- Web browser software
- Meat inventory software
- Sales software
- Microsoft Excel
Knowledge areas
- Production and Processing
- Food Production
- Public Safety and Security
- Mathematics
- Administration and Management
- Mechanical
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Transportation