Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers pay in the U.S.
$39,280avg. a year
$18.89 an hour · 145,700 employed
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers in the U.S. earn an average of $39,280 a year and a median of $38,300. Pay is highest in Colorado ($51,350) and lowest in Louisiana ($29,410).
$38,300Median pay
$18.89Average hourly
+28%Avg. pay since 2020
145,700Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
12,470 jobs
Colorado
$51,350
$24.69 an hour
28,340 jobs
Nebraska
$48,810
$23.47 an hour
35,000 jobs
Kansas
$46,990
$22.59 an hour
4620 jobs
Arizona
$46,360
$22.29 an hour
5
New Hampshire
$44,970
$21.62 an hour
62,080 jobs
South Dakota
$44,140
$21.22 an hour
73,630 jobs
Washington
$43,410
$20.87 an hour
81,080 jobs
Utah
$43,370
$20.85 an hour
940 jobs
Vermont
$43,240
$20.79 an hour
10390 jobs
North Dakota
$43,090
$20.72 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $37k$37k–$39k$39k–$43k$43k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Topeka, KS | $49,920 | $24.00 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | $48,210 | $23.18 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $47,820 | $22.99 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $47,410 | $22.79 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | $46,590 | $22.40 |
| Portland-South Portland, ME | $45,530 | $21.89 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $45,020 | $21.64 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $44,210 | $21.26 |
Related jobs
- Bakers$38,480
- Food Batchmakers$43,750
- Butchers and Meat Cutters$42,380
- Slaughterers and Meat Packers$41,770
- Food Processing Workers, All Other$40,300
- Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders$42,570
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $31,840 | $31,080 | 9,140 |
| Alaska | $38,020 | $37,180 | 970 |
| Arizona | $46,360 | $48,550 | 620 |
| Arkansas | $38,360 | $37,980 | 9,030 |
| California | $38,930 | $36,570 | 9,270 |
| Colorado | $51,350 | $50,390 | 2,470 |
| Connecticut | $37,180 | $34,780 | – |
| Delaware | $35,740 | $35,500 | 5,430 |
| Florida | $34,740 | $31,160 | 2,310 |
| Georgia | $38,670 | $39,330 | 11,480 |
| Hawaii | $41,920 | $40,260 | 800 |
| Idaho | $38,780 | $39,200 | 280 |
| Illinois | $41,440 | $40,690 | 4,040 |
| Indiana | $41,530 | $42,450 | 2,640 |
| Iowa | $42,560 | $43,190 | 3,970 |
| Kansas | $46,990 | $48,080 | 5,000 |
| Kentucky | $40,110 | $39,150 | 1,450 |
| Louisiana | $29,410 | $27,850 | 1,690 |
| Maine | $42,600 | $39,170 | 660 |
| Maryland | $35,770 | $32,950 | 680 |
| Massachusetts | $38,570 | $36,570 | 2,350 |
| Michigan | $42,610 | $44,430 | 920 |
| Minnesota | $41,980 | $43,400 | 3,790 |
| Mississippi | $36,390 | $37,890 | 6,470 |
| Missouri | $41,410 | $41,890 | 2,880 |
| Montana | $38,660 | $37,440 | 60 |
| Nebraska | $48,810 | $47,580 | 8,340 |
| Nevada | $40,810 | $37,920 | 360 |
| New Hampshire | $44,970 | $47,260 | – |
| New Jersey | $37,760 | $34,930 | – |
| New Mexico | $34,050 | $31,240 | 240 |
| New York | $40,450 | $37,330 | 2,420 |
| North Carolina | $37,630 | $39,170 | 9,750 |
| North Dakota | $43,090 | $47,250 | 390 |
| Ohio | $38,390 | $37,020 | 3,540 |
| Oklahoma | $39,380 | $36,300 | 1,530 |
| Oregon | $37,810 | $36,060 | 910 |
| Pennsylvania | $37,020 | $36,480 | 1,600 |
| Rhode Island | $39,610 | $37,740 | 320 |
| South Carolina | $35,780 | $34,790 | 2,750 |
| South Dakota | $44,140 | $44,290 | 2,080 |
| Tennessee | $36,670 | $37,590 | 2,970 |
| Texas | $35,540 | $35,890 | 8,590 |
| Utah | $43,370 | $44,150 | 1,080 |
| Vermont | $43,240 | $40,110 | 40 |
| Virginia | $35,460 | $36,170 | 2,740 |
| Washington | $43,410 | $43,010 | 3,630 |
| West Virginia | $40,480 | $36,870 | 220 |
| Wisconsin | $41,870 | $43,300 | 2,040 |
| Wyoming | $37,670 | $37,040 | 70 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$38,530
4,340 jobsGainesville, GA
$40,970
3,210 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$40,660
2,770 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$40,010
2,560 jobsFayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR
$38,090
2,500 jobsJackson, MS
$37,680
2,230 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$40,100
2,170 jobsFort Smith, AR-OK
$37,320
2,080 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers make?
The average is $39,280 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $38,300 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $18.89, and the median is $18.41 an hour.
Which state pays meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers the most?
Colorado, with an average of $51,350 a year. The best-paying metro area is Topeka, KS at $49,920.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $29,980 a year, and the top 10% earn over $48,150.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 51-3022. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.