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.
- O*NET-SOC code
51-3023.00 - Preparation Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$40,130
Employment, U.S.69,950
Median hourly wage$19.29
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $33,340 | $36,150 | $40,130 | $46,870 | $51,090 |
By state (47)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 240 | $36,360 | 0.26 |
| Arizona | 440 | $49,020 | 0.30 |
| Arkansas | 2,140 | $37,800 | 3.64 |
| California | 6,170 | $39,420 | 0.75 |
| Colorado | 1,590 | $50,480 | 1.23 |
| Connecticut | 70 | $36,290 | 0.10 |
| Delaware | 50 | $31,200 | 0.25 |
| Florida | 400 | $34,430 | 0.09 |
| Georgia | 3,660 | $36,770 | 1.66 |
| Hawaii | 120 | $38,890 | 0.42 |
| Idaho | 450 | $40,370 | 1.18 |
| Illinois | 3,360 | $44,950 | 1.23 |
| Indiana | 1,210 | $43,770 | 0.84 |
| Iowa | 4,220 | $43,820 | 6.02 |
| Kansas | 2,170 | $48,240 | 3.36 |
| Kentucky | 320 | $38,330 | 0.36 |
| Louisiana | 650 | $40,120 | 0.75 |
| Maine | 50 | $38,740 | 0.18 |
| Maryland | 130 | $37,650 | 0.11 |
| Massachusetts | 170 | $37,780 | 0.11 |
| Michigan | 2,920 | $45,850 | 1.47 |
| Minnesota | 2,820 | $43,360 | 2.12 |
| Mississippi | 1,100 | $33,650 | 2.09 |
| Missouri | 1,280 | $44,490 | 0.97 |
| Montana | 80 | $46,700 | 0.33 |
| Nebraska | 5,480 | $48,910 | 11.89 |
| Nevada | 140 | $30,430 | 0.21 |
| New Hampshire | 40 | $39,270 | 0.14 |
| New Jersey | 1,050 | $45,230 | 0.54 |
| New Mexico | $30,560 | ||
| New York | 1,750 | $33,880 | 0.40 |
| North Carolina | 6,120 | $39,930 | 2.75 |
| North Dakota | 160 | $39,730 | 0.84 |
| Ohio | 2,440 | $36,800 | 0.98 |
| Oklahoma | 1,560 | $45,970 | 2.03 |
| Oregon | 360 | $45,980 | 0.41 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,410 | $37,330 | 1.62 |
| Rhode Island | 280 | $37,570 | 1.24 |
| South Carolina | 250 | $46,000 | 0.24 |
| South Dakota | 740 | $44,410 | 3.60 |
| Tennessee | 650 | $35,790 | 0.44 |
| Texas | 2,950 | $43,160 | 0.47 |
| Utah | 560 | $44,040 | 0.72 |
| Vermont | 50 | $42,220 | 0.37 |
| Virginia | 1,480 | $37,430 | 0.80 |
| Washington | 840 | $45,100 | 0.53 |
| Wisconsin | 2,620 | $37,510 | 1.98 |
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 | Butchers and Meat Cutters | 1-2 | 0.924 |
| 2 | Packers and Packagers, Hand | 1-2 | 0.917 |
| 3 | Helpers--Production Workers | 1-2 | 0.912 |
| 4 | Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | 1-2 | 0.910 |
| 5 | Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials | 1-2 | 0.905 |
| 6 | Cooks, Fast Food | 1-2 | 0.901 |
| 7 | Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders | 1-2 | 0.898 |
| 8 | Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers | 1-2 | 0.897 |
| 9 | Tire Builders | 1-2 | 0.896 |
| 10 | Machine Feeders and Offbearers | 1-2 | 0.895 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Slaughterers and Meat Packers, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | Coordination | 1.00 | 0.910 |
| Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers | Critical Thinking | 1.00 | 0.897 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | Coordination | 0.87 | 0.894 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | Reading Comprehension | 1.13 | 0.892 |
| Recycling and Reclamation Workers | Monitoring | 0.87 | 0.886 |
| Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse | Speaking | 1.00 | 0.885 |
| Tire Repairers and Changers | Time Management | 0.87 | 0.883 |
| Stone Cutters and Carvers, Manufacturing | Critical Thinking | 1.00 | 0.879 |
| Floor Sanders and Finishers | Coordination | 1.12 | 0.874 |
| Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters | Reading Comprehension | 0.87 | 0.870 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Slaughterers and Meat Packers, excluding software Slaughterers and Meat Packers 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 |
|---|---|---|
| RestaurantPlus PRO | 3 of 20 | 34.6x |
| Plexis Software Plexis POS | 3 of 20 | 19.8x |
| Inventory tracking software | 3 of 20 | 3.1x |
| SAP software | 7 of 20 | 1.1x |
| Autodesk AutoCAD | 4 of 20 | 1.1x |
| 3 of 20 | 1.0x | |
| Microsoft Word | 16 of 20 | 0.9x |
| Email software | 4 of 20 | 0.7x |
| Web browser software | 5 of 20 | 0.5x |
| Microsoft Outlook | 10 of 20 | 0.7x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speaking | Essential skill | 2.75 | 1.88 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 2.62 | 2.25 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 2.38 | 1.88 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 1.75 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 2.25 | 1.88 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.38 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.00 | 1.25 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.50 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 0.88 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.12 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 1.75 | 1.00 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.75 |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.75 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Science | Essential skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.62 | 3.61 |
| Food Production | 3.43 | 4.05 |
| Production and Processing | 3.29 | 3.13 |
| English Language | 3.12 | 2.53 |
| Law and Government | 2.79 | 2.29 |
| Mathematics | 2.69 | 2.56 |
| Administrative | 2.50 | 2.00 |
| Administration and Management | 2.47 | 2.05 |
| Sales and Marketing | 2.41 | 2.29 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.39 | 2.32 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.03 | 1.50 |
| Engineering and Technology | 2.00 | 1.92 |
| Mechanical | 1.96 | 1.96 |
| Biology | 1.95 | 1.84 |
| Foreign Language | 1.88 | 1.10 |
| Chemistry | 1.85 | not rated |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.81 | 1.23 |
| Education and Training | 1.80 | 1.36 |
| Design | 1.69 | not rated |
| Computers and Electronics | 1.68 | 1.78 |
| Building and Construction | 1.64 | not rated |
| Physics | 1.62 | 1.11 |
| History and Archeology | 1.53 | not rated |
| Transportation | 1.53 | 1.08 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.48 | not rated |
| Geography | 1.44 | 0.73 |
| Psychology | 1.43 | 0.86 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.40 | not rated |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.37 | not rated |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.21 | not rated |
| Telecommunications | 1.16 | not rated |
| Communications and Media | 1.13 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.00 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.75 | 3.00 |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.38 | 3.00 |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Near Vision | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Control Precision | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Static Strength | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Trunk Strength | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Oral Expression | 2.88 | 2.62 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 2.88 | 2.38 |
| Reaction Time | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Information Ordering | 2.75 | 2.50 |
| Category Flexibility | 2.75 | 2.00 |
| Speech Recognition | 2.75 | 2.00 |
| Selective Attention | 2.62 | 2.50 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.62 | 2.12 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 2.62 | 2.00 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 2.62 | 2.00 |
| Speech Clarity | 2.62 | 1.88 |
| Stamina | 2.50 | 2.12 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.38 | 2.38 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.25 | 2.62 |
| Far Vision | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Rate Control | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Visualization | 2.12 | 1.75 |
| Depth Perception | 2.12 | 1.62 |
| Response Orientation | 2.12 | 1.62 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.12 | 1.50 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.12 | 1.12 |
| Time Sharing | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.00 | 1.38 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 2.00 | 1.25 |
| Explosive Strength | 2.00 | 1.12 |
| Number Facility | 2.00 | 1.00 |
| Written Comprehension | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Written Expression | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 1.88 | 0.88 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 1.88 | 0.88 |
| Memorization | 1.88 | 0.88 |
| Originality | 1.88 | 0.88 |
| Speed of Closure | 1.88 | 0.88 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.00 | not rated |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
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
- AccountMate Software AccountMate
- AgInfoLink Meat Inventory Tracking System MITS
- Integrated Management Systems Food Connex Cloud
- RFID software
- Second Foundation NaviMeat
- Traceability 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 1,120 | 33.22 | $49,600 |
| Gainesville, GA | 920 | 19.77 | $35,680 |
| Lebanon, PA | 350 | 14.63 | $36,420 |
| Fresno, CA | 2,690 | 12.53 | $39,420 |
| Fort Smith, AR-OK | 300 | 7.09 | $38,800 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | 1,330 | 5.94 | $46,390 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 430 | 5.33 | $48,120 |
| Jackson, MS | 470 | 3.84 | $34,530 |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA | 290 | 2.53 | $37,020 |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | 610 | 2.25 | $43,680 |