🛒
Grocery Retail
Kroger, Publix, Albertsons
Butchers and Meat Cutters
Butchers and meat cutters trim, bone, grind, and package meat for sale, but a big part of the job is also presentation: the display case has to look fresh and inviting while the back room keeps stock moving. The work mixes customer requests, knife work, and inventory management, with a constant tradeoff between speed, safety, and precision in a cold, physically demanding setting.
Also known as Meat CutterButcherRetail ButcherMeat ClerkMeat Department Associate
Median Salary
$38,960
Mean $41,300
U.S. Workforce
~140K
16.9K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+1%
143.1K to 144.5K
Entry Education
No formal educational credential
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Butchers and Meat Cutters sits in the Trades category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~140K workers, with a median annual pay of $38,960 and roughly 16.9K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 143.1 K in 2024 to 144.5K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with High school diploma, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Meat Counter Clerk and can progress toward Meat Department Supervisor. High-value skills usually include Meat Cutting, Trimming & Portion Control, Food Safety, Sanitation & Temperature Control, and Bandsaws, Meat Grinders, Slicers & Knife Handling, paired with soft skills such as Active Listening, Service Orientation, and Time Management.
Core Responsibilities
- Cut, trim, bone, and grind meat into the portions customers and kitchens need.
- Fill the display case with neatly arranged cuts that look fresh and sell well.
- Take special requests from shoppers and prepare custom cuts to order.
- Check incoming meat for quality, then store it properly so it stays safe and usable.
Keep exploring: more Trades careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Cut, trim, bone, and grind meat into the portions customers and kitchens need.
02 Fill the display case with neatly arranged cuts that look fresh and sell well.
03 Take special requests from shoppers and prepare custom cuts to order.
04 Check incoming meat for quality, then store it properly so it stays safe and usable.
05 Wrap, weigh, label, and price packages before they go out for sale.
06 Track inventory, order more product when needed, and help guide other workers on the floor.
Industries That Hire
🥩
Meat Processing & Packing
Tyson Foods, JBS USA, Cargill
🏬
Wholesale Clubs
Costco, Sam's Club, BJ's Wholesale Club
🥬
Specialty & Natural Foods Retail
Whole Foods Market, Wegmans, The Fresh Market
🚚
Foodservice Distribution
Sysco, US Foods, Performance Food Group
Pros and Cons
Advantages
+
You can enter the field without a formal degree, and many workers learn through long-term on-the-job training.
+
There are steady openings: the occupation is projected to add about 16.9K annual openings, which helps job seekers find starting points.
+
The work is hands-on and visible, so you can immediately see the result of good cutting, trimming, and display work.
+
Custom cutting and direct customer contact make the job less repetitive than some other retail or production roles.
+
There is a clear path into lead and supervisor jobs if you build speed, accuracy, and inventory skills.
Challenges
-
Pay is modest for skilled physical work: the median wage is $38,960 and the mean is $41,300, so it is not a high-paying trade.
-
Growth is basically flat, with only 1.0% projected growth from 143.1K jobs to 144.5K by 2034, so the occupation is not expanding much.
-
The work is physically demanding, with long periods of standing, heavy lifting, cold storage, and frequent knife use.
-
The career ceiling can be limited because many jobs stay in the same pay band unless you move into supervision or department management.
-
Centralized meat processing, automation, and store consolidation can reduce the number of skilled cutting jobs over time.
Career Progression
Meat Counter Clerk
0-2 years
$27K-$32K
New workers focus on wrapping, labeling, stocking, and learning basic customer service while they build speed and knife confidence.
Meat Cutter Apprentice
1-4 years
$31K-$36K
Apprentices start handling trimming, portioning, and simple custom cuts under close supervision.
Butcher and Meat Cutter THIS ROLE
3-7 years
$36K-$43K
At this level, workers do the core cutting work independently, handle special orders, and keep the case and back room running smoothly.
Senior Butcher / Meat Department Lead
6-10 years
$44K-$52K
Experienced cutters take on harder cuts, train newer staff, and help manage ordering, display quality, and production pace.
Meat Department Supervisor
8+ years
$53K-$66K
Supervisors oversee schedules, inventory, food safety, and customer service while balancing labor, waste, and sales targets.
Education Paths
High school diploma
The most common education path, held by 69.93% of workers in this role.
No formal educational credential
BLS lists no formal credential as a typical entry point, and 20.36% of workers report less than a high school diploma.
Some college courses
A smaller share of workers, 7.27%, report some college coursework, which can help with retail, food handling, or supervisor-track jobs.
Postsecondary certificate in meat cutting or food processing
Only 2.44% of workers report a post-secondary certificate, but a short credential can help if you want structured training before long-term on-the-job learning.
Key Skills
Technical
Meat Cutting, Trimming & Portion Control 74%
Food Safety, Sanitation & Temperature Control 72%
Bandsaws, Meat Grinders, Slicers & Knife Handling 70%
Weigh Scales, Label Printers & POS Systems 66%
Inventory Ordering, Stock Rotation & Cold Storage 64%
Soft Skills
Active ListeningService OrientationTime ManagementSocial PerceptivenessSpeakingCritical Thinking Job Outlook and Trends
+1%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
16.9K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 143.1K to 144.5 K over the next decade, representing 1% growth. Around 16.9 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Rare. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.