Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

51-3023 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. Excludes “Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers” (51-3022) who perform routine meat cutting.


National estimates for Slaughterers and Meat Packers
Industry profile for Slaughterers and Meat Packers
Geographic profile for Slaughterers and Meat Packers

National estimates for Slaughterers and Meat Packers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Slaughterers and Meat Packers:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
78,660 1.5 % $ 16.79 $ 34,920 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for Slaughterers and Meat Packers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 13.20 $ 14.76 $ 16.94 $ 18.48 $ 21.01
Annual Wage (2) $ 27,460 $ 30,690 $ 35,240 $ 38,440 $ 43,700


Industry profile for Slaughterers and Meat Packers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Slaughterers and Meat Packers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Slaughterers and Meat Packers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Slaughterers and Meat Packers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Animal Slaughtering and Processing 71,550 13.73 $ 16.89 $ 35,130
Employment Services 2,750 0.07 $ 15.04 $ 31,280
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only) 2,120 0.22 $ 16.61 $ 34,540
Food and Beverage Retailers (4451 and 4452 only) 2,010 0.07 $ 15.50 $ 32,250
Animal Food Manufacturing 130 0.19 $ 17.58 $ 36,560

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Slaughterers and Meat Packers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Animal Slaughtering and Processing 71,550 13.73 $ 16.89 $ 35,130
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only) 2,120 0.22 $ 16.61 $ 34,540
Animal Food Manufacturing 130 0.19 $ 17.58 $ 36,560
Food and Beverage Retailers (4451 and 4452 only) 2,010 0.07 $ 15.50 $ 32,250
Employment Services 2,750 0.07 $ 15.04 $ 31,280

Top paying industries for Slaughterers and Meat Packers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Animal Food Manufacturing 130 0.19 $ 17.58 $ 36,560
Animal Slaughtering and Processing 71,550 13.73 $ 16.89 $ 35,130
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only) 2,120 0.22 $ 16.61 $ 34,540
Food and Beverage Retailers (4451 and 4452 only) 2,010 0.07 $ 15.50 $ 32,250
Employment Services 2,750 0.07 $ 15.04 $ 31,280


Geographic profile for Slaughterers and Meat Packers:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Slaughterers and Meat Packers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Slaughterers and Meat Packers, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of slaughterers and meat packers by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Slaughterers and Meat Packers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 9,350 0.72 1.35 $ 16.98 $ 35,320
North Carolina 8,910 1.92 3.60 $ 16.19 $ 33,680
Iowa 5,630 3.70 6.97 $ 18.82 $ 39,150
California 4,300 0.24 0.46 $ 16.42 $ 34,160
Minnesota 3,980 1.41 2.65 $ 18.81 $ 39,130


Map of location quotient of slaughterers and meat packers by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Slaughterers and Meat Packers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Iowa 5,630 3.70 6.97 $ 18.82 $ 39,150
Nebraska 3,500 3.60 6.78 $ 19.79 $ 41,160
North Carolina 8,910 1.92 3.60 $ 16.19 $ 33,680
Arkansas 2,170 1.76 3.31 $ 16.51 $ 34,340
South Dakota 760 1.74 3.27 $ 19.26 $ 40,060


Map of annual mean wages of slaughterers and meat packers by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Slaughterers and Meat Packers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nebraska 3,500 3.60 6.78 $ 19.79 $ 41,160
Kansas 1,540 1.11 2.10 $ 19.53 $ 40,630
South Dakota 760 1.74 3.27 $ 19.26 $ 40,060
Illinois 1,970 0.34 0.63 $ 19.02 $ 39,560
Michigan 1,050 0.25 0.46 $ 19.00 $ 39,530



Map of employment of slaughterers and meat packers by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Slaughterers and Meat Packers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA 1,440 3.05 5.74 $ 20.84 $ 43,340
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 1,280 0.46 0.87 $ 17.86 $ 37,150
Fresno, CA 1,200 3.02 5.68 $ 15.65 $ 32,550
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 1,150 0.19 0.35 $ 16.95 $ 35,260
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 1,000 0.26 0.49 $ 15.48 $ 32,200
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 980 0.22 0.42 $ 18.48 $ 38,440
Green Bay, WI 790 4.69 8.81 $ 16.47 $ 34,250
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 760 0.72 1.35 $ 16.27 $ 33,830
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 750 0.28 0.52 $ 15.93 $ 33,140
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 750 0.08 0.15 $ 17.26 $ 35,890


Map of location quotient of slaughterers and meat packers by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Slaughterers and Meat Packers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD 730 8.42 15.82 $ 18.68 $ 38,850
Sheboygan, WI 400 6.90 12.98 $ 16.25 $ 33,810
Merced, CA 420 5.51 10.36 $ 15.34 $ 31,900
Gainesville, GA 460 4.87 9.16 $ 16.26 $ 33,810
Green Bay, WI 790 4.69 8.81 $ 16.47 $ 34,250
Longview, WA 190 4.67 8.78 $ 17.54 $ 36,490
Amarillo, TX 460 3.96 7.44 $ 16.73 $ 34,790
Harrisonburg, VA 250 3.89 7.31 $ 15.35 $ 31,930
Lebanon, PA 170 3.36 6.32 $ 18.16 $ 37,760
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA 1,440 3.05 5.74 $ 20.84 $ 43,340


Map of annual mean wages of slaughterers and meat packers by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Slaughterers and Meat Packers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA 1,440 3.05 5.74 $ 20.84 $ 43,340
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 290 0.19 0.36 $ 20.71 $ 43,070
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 90 0.05 0.10 $ 20.41 $ 42,440
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 290 0.14 0.26 $ 19.91 $ 41,420
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 230 0.09 0.18 $ 19.38 $ 40,300
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 140 0.07 0.14 $ 19.35 $ 40,250
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD 730 8.42 15.82 $ 18.68 $ 38,850
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 980 0.22 0.42 $ 18.48 $ 38,440
St. Louis, MO-IL 150 0.11 0.21 $ 18.48 $ 38,430
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 50 0.02 0.03 $ 18.19 $ 37,820

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Slaughterers and Meat Packers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 5,550 22.68 42.63 $ 16.59 $ 34,500
Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 2,010 17.12 32.19 $ 19.31 $ 40,160
Southeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 1,840 12.75 23.97 $ 16.17 $ 33,630
West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 1,680 8.57 16.11 $ 20.18 $ 41,980
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 1,340 4.91 9.24 $ 16.80 $ 34,940

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Slaughterers and Meat Packers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 5,550 22.68 42.63 $ 16.59 $ 34,500
Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 2,010 17.12 32.19 $ 19.31 $ 40,160
Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area 1,270 15.49 29.13 $ 19.29 $ 40,130
Southeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 1,840 12.75 23.97 $ 16.17 $ 33,630
Northeast Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 970 10.49 19.72 $ 17.96 $ 37,350

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Slaughterers and Meat Packers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area 330 2.04 3.84 $ 20.24 $ 42,110
West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 1,680 8.57 16.11 $ 20.18 $ 41,980
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 1,320 3.45 6.49 $ 19.93 $ 41,460
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 550 2.09 3.93 $ 19.74 $ 41,060
South Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 800 5.48 10.31 $ 19.32 $ 40,190


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023