What Does A Meat Cutter Do (including Their Typical Day at Work)

Stan T.Career, Overview

Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Meat Cutters

Meat Cutters use hands or hand tools to perform routine cutting and trimming of meat, poultry, and seafood.

Salary
$30800
Becoming One
Very Easy
Education
No degree required
Job Satisfaction
Low
Job Growth

Personality


What they do

Meat Cutters use hands or hand tools to perform routine cutting and trimming of meat, poultry, and seafood.

  • Use knives, cleavers, meat saws, bandsaws, or other equipment to perform meat cutting and trimming.
  • Weigh meats and tag containers for weight and contents.
  • Process primal parts into cuts that are ready for retail use.
  • Inspect meat products for defects, bruises, or blemishes and remove them along with any excess fat.

Typical day

On a daily basis, Meat Cutters prepare ready-to-heat foods by filleting meat or fish or cutting it into bite-sized pieces, preparing and adding vegetables, or applying sauces or breading. They separate meats and byproducts into specified containers and seal containers.

A typical day for a Meat Cutter will also include:

  • Produce hamburger meat and meat trimmings.
  • Inspect meat products for defects, bruises, or blemishes and remove them along with any excess fat.
  • Obtain and distribute specified meat or carcass.
  • Clean and salt hides.
  • Process primal parts into cuts that are ready for retail use.

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Meat Cutters also remove parts, such as skin, feathers, scales, or bones, from a carcass. They may also prepare sausages, luncheon meats, hot dogs, and other fabricated meat products, using meat trimmings and hamburger meat.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Meat Cutters obtain and distribute specified meat or carcass. They might also clean, trim, slice, and section carcasses for future processing.

In addition, they separate meats and byproducts into specified containers and seal containers.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them cut and trim meat to prepare for packing.

To some Meat Cutters, it is also their responsibility to produce hamburger meat and meat trimmings.

What is the job like

Job satisfaction

Low

Is this job meaningful

Low

61% said they were satisfied with their job and 46% said they found their job meaningful.


Pros

Suitable for people who like practical and hands-on work.

Suitable for people who want to work in a supportive work environment.

This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors.

It is very easy to get into this career. Little or no previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for this career.

Demand for this career is growing.

Cons

Not suitable for people who like to help and teach others.

One of the lowest paying jobs.

How much do they make

Average salary

$30800 per year

Average hourly wage

$15 per hour

Entry-level Meat Cutters with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $22,100 to $26,070 per year or $11 to $13 per hour.

Salary by experience Annual Hourly
Highest (Top 10%) $40,050 $19
Senior (Top 25%) $35,760 $17
Median $30,190 $15
Junior (Bottom 25%) $26,070 $13
No experience (Bottom 10%) $22,100 $11

This table shows the top 10 highest paying industries for Meat Cutters based on their average annual salary.

Salary by industry Annual Hourly
General Merchandise Stores $36770 $17.68
Management of Companies and Enterprises $34940 $16.80
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods $33360 $16.04
Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing $32120 $15.44
Local Government $31150 $14.98
Animal Food Manufacturing $31070 $14.94
Animal Slaughtering and Processing $30760 $14.79
Food and Beverage Stores $30410 $14.62
Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging $30030 $14.44
Employment Services $30020 $14.43

View more salary by industries here.

Where can they work

Where can Meat Cutters work? Here is a table showing the top 10 largest employers of Meat Cutters including the average salary in that industry.

Employers Total Employed Annual Salary Hourly Wages
Animal Slaughtering and Processing 109760 $30760 $14.79
Food and Beverage Stores 16690 $30410 $14.62
Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging 8250 $30030 $14.44
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods 5780 $33360 $16.04
General Merchandise Stores 530 $36770 $17.68
Management of Companies and Enterprises 470 $34940 $16.80
Other Food Manufacturing 420 $29570 $14.21
Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing 170 $32120 $15.44
Local Government 50 $31150 $14.98
Animal Food Manufacturing 40 $31070 $14.94

What is the work day like

Working hours

Less than 40 hours
1%

40 hours
40%

More than 40 hours
58%

Working schedule

97%

1%

1%

Email

How often do you use email in this job?

Once a week
1%

Every day
4%

Telephone

How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

Once a week
49%

Every day
14%

Group discussions

How often do you have group discussions in this job?

Once a week
1%

Every day
43%

Public speaking

How often does this job require you to do public speaking?

Never
87%

Once a year
2%

Once a month
1%

Once a week
0%

Every day
9%

Level of competition

How much competitive pressure is in this job?

Not competitive at all
7%

Slightly competitive
7%

Moderately competitive
54%

Highly competitive
0%

Extremely competitive
32%

What is the work environment like

Office-style environment

Indoors in an environmentally controlled condition

Never
6%

Once a year or more
0%

Once a month or more
0%

Once a week or more
1%

Every day
93%

Warehouse-style environment

Indoors in a non-controlled environmental condition such as a warehouse

Never
98%

Once a year or more
0%

Once a month or more
0%

Once a week or more
0%

Every day
2%

Outdoors

Outdoors exposed to all weather conditions

Never
49%

Once a year or more
0%

Once a month or more
23%

Once a week or more
27%

Every day
0%

Outdoors – Under Cover

Outdoors but under cover (e.g. structure with roof but no walls)

Never
100%

Once a year or more
0%

Once a month or more
0%

Once a week or more
0%

Every day
0%

How to become one

Difficulty to become one

Very Easy
You need little to no previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience. Careers in this difficulty category don’t require a degree. However, you may need a few days to a few months of on-the-job training. Similar careers include Waiters, Logging Machine Operators, and Cashiers.

Required level of education

What level of education do you need to perform the job?

Less than a High School Diploma
62%

High School Diploma or equivalent
36%

Post-Secondary Certificate
0%

Some College Courses
0%

Associate’s Degree or similar
0%

Bachelor’s Degree
0%

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate
0%

Master’s Degree
0%

Post-Master’s Certificate
0%

First Professional Degree
0%

Doctoral Degree
1%

Post-Doctoral Training
0%

Relevant majors

No majors found

Relevant work experience

How much related work experience do you need to get hired for the job?

None
8%

1 month
30%

1 to 3 months
23%

3 to 6 months
3%

6 months to 1 year
33%

1 to 2 years
4%

2 to 4 years
0%

4 to 6 years
1%

6 to 8 years
0%

8 to 10 years
0%

Over 10 years
0%

On The Job Training

How much on the job training do you need to perform the job?

None or short demonstration
7%

1 month
19%

1 to 3 months
47%

3 to 6 months
21%

6 months to 1 year
5%

1 to 2 years
2%

2 to 4 years
0%

4 to 10 years
0%

Over 10 years
0%

Should you become one

Best personality type for this career

The Builder

People with this personality type likes practical and hands-on work. They prefer working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

The Builder
100%

People with The Builder personality type likes practical and hands-on work. They prefer working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.


The Thinker
19%

People with The Thinker personality likes to work with ideas that require an extensive amount of thinking. They prefer work that requires them to solve problems mentally.


The Artist
14%

People with The Artist personality likes to work with designs and patterns. They prefer activities that require self-expression and prefer work that can be done without following a clear set of rules.


The Helper
14%

People with The Helper personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.


The Leader
19%

People with The Leader personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.


The Organizer
29%

People with The Organizer personality type likes to follow set procedures and routines. They prefer working with data and details more than with ideas.


You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tend to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

Take this quiz to see if this is the right career for you.

Work Values

Which values are the most important to a person’s satisfaction for this job?

Achievement
29%

You are someone who is results oriented. You prefer work that allows you to utilize your skills and abilities while at the same time giving you a sense of accomplishment.

Working Conditions
31%

You are someone who values job security, steady employment, and good working conditions. You also prefer work that keeps you busy all the time with something different to do every day.

Recognition
24%

You are someone who values job advancement and leadership roles. You prefer work that receives recognition for the work you do and jobs that are looked up to by others in the company and your community.

Relationships
52%

You are someone who likes to provide a service to others. You prefer a work environment where you can work with your co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Support
67%

You are someone who values a company that stands behind their employees. You prefer a work environment where everyone is treated fairly and is being supported by the company.

Independence
29%

You are someone who likes to work on your own and make your own decisions. You prefer work that requires little supervision and are allowed to try out your own ideas.

FAQ


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