Production
Slaughterers and meat packers
Perform nonroutine or precision functions involving the preparation of large portions of meat. Work may include specialized slaughtering tasks, cutting standard or premium cuts of meat for marketing, making sausage, or wrapping meats. Work typically occurs in slaughtering, meat packing, or wholesale establishments.
Median pay
$40,130
Growth to 2035
+2%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
7,700
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Slaughterers and meat packers
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
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
Exposure to disease
Slaughterers and meat packers: 58% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
Also called: Boning Room Worker · Meat Packager · Meat Packer · Meat Processor · Meat Wrapper · Saw Man · Side Puller · Wrapper
Outlook and AI
Slaughterers and meat packers held 71,200 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 72,600 by 2035 (+2%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
- Slaughterers and meat packers vs. Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers
- Slaughterers and meat packers vs. Butchers and meat cutters
- Slaughterers and meat packers vs. Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals
- Slaughterers and meat packers vs. Graders and sorters, agricultural products
- Slaughterers and meat packers vs. Food preparation worker
- Slaughterers and meat packers vs. Animal breeder
- Slaughterers and meat packers vs. Packers and packagers, hand
- Slaughterers and meat packers vs. Cooks, restaurant
- Slaughterers and meat packers vs. Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders
- Slaughterers and meat packers vs. Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse