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Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers

Cuts, trims and packages meat, poultry and fish.

Typical education to startNo formal educational credential
Job outlook2025–2035: +6%
Median pay$38,300 a year (2025)
Interest codeRC Realistic, Conventional

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Butchers and meat cutters break down large cuts into steaks, roasts and chops for grocery stores and butcher shops, and help customers choose. Meat, poultry and fish trimmers work on processing lines. Slaughterers and meat packers work in plants where animals become food. The work uses sharp knives and saws, in cold rooms, often standing all day, and food safety rules are strict.

Open the butcher or meat cutter guide

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High school courses that build toward it

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Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers on O*NET OnLine · O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections 2025.