# Butchers and Meat Cutters

> Cut, trim, or prepare consumer-sized portions of meat for use or sale in retail establishments.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/butchers-and-meat-cutters
- SOC code: 51-3021.00
- Career family: Production
- Median annual pay: $40,140 (10th percentile $29,460, 90th percentile $58,110)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +2.4%
- Openings a year: 15,100
- Typical entry education: No formal credential
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCE)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 88 |
| Investigative (I) | 7 |
| Artistic (A) | 13 |
| Social (S) | 15 |
| Enterprising (E) | 30 |
| Conventional (C) | 49 |

## What you'd do

- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public (importance 74/100)
- Getting Information (importance 70/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 69/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 67/100)
- Selling or Influencing Others (importance 67/100)
- Controlling Machines and Processes (importance 64/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 64/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 64/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 64/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 63/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Time Management, Complex Problem Solving, Coordination

## Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service, Food Production, Production and Processing, Sales and Marketing, English Language, Administration and Management, Mathematics, Education and Training, Mechanical, Administrative

## Also called

Beef Shoppe Clerk, Blockman, Butcher, Butcher Block Clerk, Cleaver, Halal Butcher, Hotel and Restaurant Butcher, Journeyman Meat Cutter, Kosher Butcher, Meat Associate

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Culinary Arts and Related Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1205) (CIP 1205, 510 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Culinary Institute of America-New York](https://www.collegesref.com/college/culinary-institute-of-america-new-york-729) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $48,130 | $61,944 | $22,875 |
| [Johnson & Wales University-Providence](https://www.collegesref.com/college/johnson-wales-university-providence-1346) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $45,406 | $55,056 | $27,000 |
| [SUNY College of Technology at Delhi](https://www.collegesref.com/college/suny-college-of-technology-at-delhi-2651) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $37,680 | $51,716 | $22,199 |
| [Drexel University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/drexel-university-834) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | not reported | $48,094 | not reported |
| [Walnut Hill College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/walnut-hill-college-3154) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $37,008 | $47,308 | $27,000 |
| [Nicholls State University-Louisiana](https://www.collegesref.com/college/nicholls-state-university-louisiana-1873) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $32,721 | $46,969 | $24,750 |

## Related careers

- [Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/meat-poultry-and-fish-cutters-and-trimmers): $38,300 median pay
- [Slaughterers and Meat Packers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/slaughterers-and-meat-packers): $40,130 median pay
- [Cooks, Restaurant](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cooks-restaurant): $37,390 median pay
- [Food Preparation Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/food-preparation-workers): $35,320 median pay
- [Bakers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/bakers): $37,160 median pay
- [Cooks, Short Order](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cooks-short-order): $35,880 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.