Slaughterers and Meat Packers

People in this career handle the nonroutine and precision tasks of preparing meat for the market. Day-to-day activities revolve around handling and moving objects, performing general physical activities, and controlling machines and processes. Workers must monitor processes and materials, inspect equipment, and gather information to ensure quality. The job requires strong skills in operation and control, active listening, speaking, and quality control analysis.

This role fits best with individuals who have realistic interests, meaning they enjoy practical, hands-on work. Success in this field requires a high level of attention to detail, dependability, cooperation, and stress tolerance. Workers must also apply knowledge of food production, production and processing, public safety, and customer service. They frequently communicate with peers and supervisors to coordinate tasks, make decisions, and solve problems on the production floor.

To enter this career, workers typically do not need a formal educational credential, though some preparation like a high school diploma is common. Most preparation occurs through on-the-job training or prior experience. For those looking to study a related field, culinary arts and related services is a common college major that can lead to this work.

While not always mandatory, some states list a license for this occupation. Workers can also earn professional certifications to demonstrate their skills. Available certifications include the AMSA Meat Evaluation Certification from the American Meat Science Association and the Animal Processing (WV) certification from NOCTI.

The median annual pay for slaughterers and meat packers is $40,130. Earnings can vary based on experience and location, with the lowest 10% of workers earning less than $33,340 and the highest 10% earning more than $51,090.

There are 69,950 people employed in this field. Between 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to grow by 2%, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. Despite this modest growth rate, the field expects about 7,700 job openings each year due to the need to replace workers who leave the occupation.