Butchers and Meat Cutters
Cut, trim, or prepare consumer-sized portions of meat for use or sale in retail establishments.
- O*NET-SOC code
51-3021.00 - Preparation Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$40,140
Employment, U.S.136,430
Median hourly wage$19.30
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $29,460 | $35,510 | $40,140 | $48,050 | $58,110 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2,350 | $36,500 | 1.27 |
| Alaska | 230 | $50,450 | 0.80 |
| Arizona | 2,130 | $45,780 | 0.75 |
| Arkansas | 1,290 | $34,380 | 1.13 |
| California | 18,700 | $44,290 | 1.17 |
| Colorado | 2,200 | $47,490 | 0.87 |
| Connecticut | 1,210 | $44,570 | 0.82 |
| Delaware | 250 | $47,040 | 0.59 |
| District of Columbia | 150 | $48,760 | 0.25 |
| Florida | 10,590 | $42,790 | 1.22 |
| Georgia | 4,420 | $38,540 | 1.03 |
| Hawaii | 500 | $50,080 | 0.91 |
| Idaho | 1,480 | $38,030 | 1.97 |
| Illinois | 7,710 | $39,240 | 1.44 |
| Indiana | 1,850 | $42,440 | 0.66 |
| Iowa | 4,480 | $37,750 | 3.27 |
| Kansas | 1,200 | $37,320 | 0.95 |
| Kentucky | 1,670 | $35,430 | 0.95 |
| Louisiana | 2,240 | $36,790 | 1.32 |
| Maine | 830 | $38,250 | 1.48 |
| Maryland | 1,500 | $44,130 | 0.62 |
| Massachusetts | 1,480 | $48,430 | 0.46 |
| Michigan | 4,230 | $39,350 | 1.09 |
| Minnesota | 1,590 | $43,930 | 0.61 |
| Mississippi | 1,160 | $29,700 | 1.13 |
| Missouri | 2,160 | $37,860 | 0.84 |
| Montana | 740 | $41,600 | 1.65 |
| Nebraska | 1,380 | $37,630 | 1.53 |
| Nevada | 1,560 | $40,290 | 1.15 |
| New Hampshire | 530 | $47,740 | 0.88 |
| New Jersey | 4,610 | $38,540 | 1.23 |
| New Mexico | 810 | $36,640 | 1.05 |
| New York | 4,540 | $47,080 | 0.53 |
| North Carolina | 3,120 | $38,240 | 0.72 |
| North Dakota | 470 | $40,080 | 1.25 |
| Ohio | 5,640 | $37,630 | 1.16 |
| Oklahoma | 1,810 | $35,070 | 1.21 |
| Oregon | 1,540 | $49,360 | 0.89 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,540 | $38,340 | 0.67 |
| Rhode Island | 260 | $45,210 | 0.58 |
| South Carolina | 2,380 | $39,790 | 1.18 |
| South Dakota | 520 | $37,310 | 1.30 |
| Tennessee | 2,650 | $39,960 | 0.92 |
| Texas | 11,260 | $37,400 | 0.91 |
| Utah | 1,500 | $43,440 | 0.99 |
| Vermont | 370 | $45,580 | 1.38 |
| Virginia | 2,630 | $39,770 | 0.73 |
| Washington | 2,660 | $51,670 | 0.85 |
| West Virginia | 600 | $33,570 | 0.98 |
| Wisconsin | 3,510 | $45,980 | 1.36 |
| Wyoming | 210 | $44,820 | 0.87 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bakers | 1-2 | 0.956 |
| 2 | Cooks, Short Order | 1-2 | 0.955 |
| 3 | Cooks, Restaurant | 1-2 | 0.954 |
| 4 | Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | 1-2 | 0.952 |
| 5 | Cooks, Private Household | 3 | 0.948 |
| 6 | Driver/Sales Workers | 1-2 | 0.947 |
| 7 | Baristas | 1-2 | 0.944 |
| 8 | Cooks, Fast Food | 1-2 | 0.942 |
| 9 | Food Preparation Workers | 1-2 | 0.941 |
| 10 | Stockers and Order Fillers | 1-2 | 0.937 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Butchers and Meat Cutters, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bartenders | Active Learning | 0.88 | 0.925 |
| Upholsterers | Active Learning | 0.76 | 0.919 |
| Furniture Finishers | Operations Monitoring | 0.88 | 0.918 |
| Office Machine Operators, Except Computer | Operations Monitoring | 0.76 | 0.916 |
| Pest Control Workers | Active Learning | 0.76 | 0.915 |
| Machine Feeders and Offbearers | Operations Monitoring | 1.26 | 0.904 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Butchers and Meat Cutters, excluding software Butchers and Meat Cutters already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| EGS CALCMENU | 3 of 20 | 46.2x |
| Culinary Software Services ChefTec | 3 of 20 | 34.6x |
| RestaurantPlus PRO | 3 of 20 | 34.6x |
| Plexis Software Plexis POS | 3 of 20 | 19.8x |
| Work scheduling software | 3 of 20 | 5.5x |
| 4 of 20 | 1.4x | |
| Email software | 7 of 20 | 1.2x |
| Microsoft Windows | 4 of 20 | 0.8x |
| SAP software | 3 of 20 | 0.5x |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | 5 of 20 | 0.4x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.50 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.38 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 3.00 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.25 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.00 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 2.50 | 2.12 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.12 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.38 | 2.00 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.00 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.00 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.00 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 2.25 | 2.75 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 1.75 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.00 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 1.12 |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 1.00 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.88 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Science | Essential skill | 1.25 | not rated |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.13 | 3.84 |
| Food Production | 3.88 | 4.14 |
| Production and Processing | 3.37 | 3.29 |
| Sales and Marketing | 3.11 | 2.65 |
| English Language | 2.76 | 2.07 |
| Administration and Management | 2.49 | 2.15 |
| Mathematics | 2.46 | 2.25 |
| Education and Training | 2.27 | 2.06 |
| Mechanical | 2.25 | 2.39 |
| Administrative | 1.94 | 1.71 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 1.92 | 1.58 |
| Computers and Electronics | 1.89 | 1.59 |
| Psychology | 1.86 | 1.45 |
| Public Safety and Security | 1.83 | 1.36 |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.77 | 0.96 |
| Law and Government | 1.62 | 0.84 |
| Communications and Media | 1.56 | 1.06 |
| Design | 1.56 | 1.01 |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.55 | 0.99 |
| Biology | 1.52 | 0.94 |
| Transportation | 1.46 | not rated |
| Chemistry | 1.40 | 1.35 |
| Foreign Language | 1.34 | not rated |
| Telecommunications | 1.32 | not rated |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.26 | not rated |
| Geography | 1.25 | not rated |
| Physics | 1.25 | not rated |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.24 | not rated |
| Building and Construction | 1.23 | not rated |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.19 | not rated |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.18 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.10 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.03 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Manual Dexterity | 3.50 | 3.25 |
| Near Vision | 3.50 | 3.25 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Control Precision | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Oral Expression | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Information Ordering | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.12 | 2.88 |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Trunk Strength | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Selective Attention | 3.00 | 2.50 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Static Strength | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Written Comprehension | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Visualization | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Far Vision | 2.88 | 2.50 |
| Reaction Time | 2.88 | 2.38 |
| Time Sharing | 2.88 | 2.38 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.88 | 2.12 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.75 | 2.38 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.75 | 2.25 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.75 | 2.25 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.75 | 2.25 |
| Number Facility | 2.62 | 2.25 |
| Depth Perception | 2.62 | 2.12 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.62 | 2.12 |
| Rate Control | 2.62 | 2.12 |
| Stamina | 2.62 | 1.88 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.50 | 2.12 |
| Response Orientation | 2.50 | 2.12 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.50 | 2.00 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 2.38 | 1.50 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Written Expression | 2.12 | 2.25 |
| Originality | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Memorization | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Night Vision | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Sound Localization | 1.38 | 0.50 |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- Financial accounting software
- Web browser software
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Falls, ID | 230 | 5.31 | $37,530 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 270 | 4.10 | $42,740 |
| Mayaguez, PR | 190 | 4.07 | $22,780 |
| Aguadilla, PR | 170 | 3.98 | $23,230 |
| Green Bay, WI | 610 | 3.96 | $37,300 |
| Sheboygan, WI | 180 | 3.35 | $47,450 |
| Ames, IA | 160 | 3.25 | $36,110 |
| Logan, UT-ID | 180 | 3.07 | $43,440 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 130 | 2.97 | $43,980 |
| Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 210 | 2.82 | $37,130 |