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.
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.
High concentrations of slaughterers and meat packers in Iowa, South Dakota, and Nebraska in 2019
June 26, 2020
The animal slaughtering and processing industry had about 527,000 jobs in May 2019. Two occupations combined made up over one-third of employment in this industry: meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers (114,160) and slaughterers and meat packers (67,670).
Employment, location quotients, and wages of meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers, by state, May 2019
State
Employment
Location quotient
Hourly mean wage
Alabama
11,580
5.60
$11.20
Alaska
2,370
7.13
12.40
Arizona
700
0.23
14.47
Arkansas
8,410
6.59
13.07
California
8,000
0.44
14.38
Colorado
2,940
1.05
16.76
Connecticut
210
0.12
15.36
Delaware
5,550
11.72
12.98
District of Columbia
120
0.15
15.66
Florida
3,470
0.38
14.33
Georgia
9,810
2.09
12.25
Hawaii
670
1.01
14.34
Idaho
200
0.27
13.19
Illinois
1,950
0.31
15.55
Indiana
1,860
0.58
13.79
Iowa
5,870
3.61
16.80
Kansas
5,410
3.70
14.65
Kentucky
1,600
0.81
13.30
Louisiana
2,720
1.35
11.11
Maine
840
1.31
15.29
Maryland
700
0.25
14.62
Massachusetts
1,100
0.29
17.55
Michigan
1,530
0.34
14.72
Minnesota
4,140
1.37
15.50
Mississippi
5,750
4.86
13.10
Missouri
4,300
1.45
15.55
Montana
—
—
15.17
Nebraska
9,200
8.94
16.69
Nevada
590
0.41
14.07
New Hampshire
50
0.07
15.22
New Jersey
2,110
0.49
14.62
New Mexico
80
0.09
12.46
New York
1,770
0.18
13.87
North Carolina
13,320
2.85
12.98
North Dakota
100
0.22
15.67
Ohio
2,380
0.42
14.42
Oklahoma
1,400
0.83
11.51
Oregon
820
0.41
13.12
Pennsylvania
2,020
0.33
14.44
Rhode Island
—
—
13.84
South Carolina
4,490
2.03
11.76
South Dakota
2,180
4.90
14.61
Tennessee
3,330
1.06
13.71
Texas
5,640
0.43
13.83
Utah
560
0.35
13.33
Vermont
50
0.14
17.01
Virginia
3,660
0.90
13.03
Washington
3,160
0.91
16.06
West Virginia
970
1.32
13.58
Wisconsin
3,810
1.27
14.25
Wyoming
80
0.29
13.69
Note: Dash indicates estimate not released.
States with the largest number of jobs and highest concentrations of meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers and slaughterers and meat packers were mainly in the Midwest and South, although there were some exceptions.
North Carolina (13,320), Alabama (11,580), and Georgia (9,810) were among the states with the largest number of jobs for meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers. As a share of state employment, Delaware had nearly 12 times as many meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers as the national share. Nebraska (location quotient of 8.9) and Alaska (7.1) were also among the states with the highest concentrations of this occupation.
Employment, location quotients, and wages of slaughterers and meat packers, by state, May 2019
State
Employment
Location quotient
Hourly mean wage
Alabama
3,370
3.42
$10.86
Arizona
560
0.39
16.44
Arkansas
1,160
1.90
13.71
California
4,980
0.57
13.80
Colorado
1,790
1.34
17.56
Connecticut
50
0.06
13.71
Delaware
230
1.00
14.93
Florida
220
0.05
12.75
Georgia
5,550
2.48
12.58
Hawaii
70
0.23
16.28
Idaho
350
0.97
10.99
Illinois
3,990
1.33
14.87
Indiana
1,030
0.67
15.20
Iowa
5,010
6.47
15.86
Kansas
1,880
2.70
16.23
Kentucky
910
0.96
13.66
Louisiana
1,010
1.05
11.20
Maryland
—
—
16.93
Massachusetts
—
—
14.69
Michigan
1,610
0.74
15.14
Minnesota
5,220
3.63
15.42
Mississippi
1,580
2.80
12.69
Missouri
500
0.36
14.54
Montana
40
0.15
15.72
Nebraska
1,850
3.76
15.35
Nevada
—
—
15.66
New Jersey
790
0.39
14.09
New Mexico
60
0.14
15.46
New York
590
0.12
16.62
North Carolina
5,910
2.65
14.23
North Dakota
—
—
16.36
Ohio
4,110
1.51
13.34
Oklahoma
640
0.79
11.61
Oregon
360
0.37
14.32
Pennsylvania
2,510
0.85
14.80
South Carolina
560
0.53
11.46
South Dakota
960
4.53
14.54
Tennessee
1,050
0.70
12.45
Texas
6,020
0.97
14.15
Utah
800
1.07
14.87
Vermont
130
0.83
15.29
Virginia
1,060
0.55
13.54
Washington
1,200
0.73
16.19
West Virginia
—
—
13.33
Wisconsin
2,640
1.84
14.74
Note: Dash indicates estimate not released.
Texas (6,020), North Carolina (5,910), and Georgia (5,550) were among the states with the largest number of jobs for slaughterers and meat packers. States with the highest concentrations of this occupation included Iowa (location quotient of 6.5), South Dakota (4.5), and Nebraska (3.8).
These data are from the Occupational Employment Statistics program. To learn more, see the May 2019 data for animal slaughtering and processing and the occupational profile pages for meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers and slaughterers and meat packers. Location quotients represent the ratio of an occupation's share of state employment to that occupation's share of national employment. For example, an occupation that makes up 10 percent of state employment compared with 2 percent of U.S. employment would have a location quotient of 5 for that state. (State occupational employment data are for all industries combined. The animal slaughtering and processing industry employed 92 percent of slaughterers and meat packers and 74 percent of meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers nationally.)
United States Department of Labor
