Production
Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers
Use hands or hand tools to perform routine cutting and trimming of meat, poultry, and seafood.
Median pay
$38,300
Growth to 2035
+6%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
17,000
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
Calculate your switch to meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Exposure to disease
Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers: 58% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Use knives, cleavers, meat saws, bandsaws, or other equipment to perform meat cutting and trimming.
- Weigh meats and tag containers for weight and contents.
- Inspect meat products for defects, bruises or blemishes and remove them along with any excess fat.
- Cut and trim meat to prepare for packing.
- Separate meats and byproducts into specified containers and seal containers.
Also called: Beef Trimmer · Breast Trimmer · Chicken Cutter · Deboner · Fish Processor · Meat Cutter · Meat Trimmer · Seafood Processor
Outlook and AI
Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers held 149,800 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 158,300 by 2035 (+6%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
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