What is a meat butcher and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a meat butcher. For example, did you know that they make an average of $15.9 an hour? That's $33,081 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -3% and produce -4,900 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreMeat ButcherUS Average
Salary
2.6

Avg. Salary $33,081

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
8.8

Growth Rate -3%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
10.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.05%

Asian 6.42%

Black or African American 7.11%

Hispanic or Latino 19.95%

Unknown 3.62%

White 61.86%

Gender

female 11.29%

male 88.71%

Age - 42
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42
Stress Level
8.8

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
7.9

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
8.5

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Meat Butcher career paths

Key steps to become a meat butcher

  1. Explore meat butcher education requirements

    Most common meat butcher degrees

    High School Diploma

    38.1 %

    Bachelor's

    22.0 %

    Associate

    18.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific meat butcher skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Customer Service30.49%
    Groceries18.18%
    Safety Procedures14.60%
    Delivery Truck8.09%
    Poultry Products6.66%
  3. Complete relevant meat butcher training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New meat butchers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a meat butcher based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real meat butcher resumes.
  4. Research meat butcher duties and responsibilities

    • Manage meat department, purchase all perishables for dept, receive and and rotate product.
    • Work with USDA inspectors and employees to enforce standards.
    • Work with deli slicers and make heroes in the deli department.
    • Assist in the implementation and review of the organization's current HACCP policy.
  5. Prepare your meat butcher resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your meat butcher resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a meat butcher resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Meat Butcher Resume templates

    Build a professional Meat Butcher resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Meat Butcher resume.
    Meat Butcher Resume
    Meat Butcher Resume
    Meat Butcher Resume
    Meat Butcher Resume
    Meat Butcher Resume
    Meat Butcher Resume
    Meat Butcher Resume
    Meat Butcher Resume
    Meat Butcher Resume
  6. Apply for meat butcher jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a meat butcher job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Meat Butcher Job

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Average meat butcher salary

The average Meat Butcher salary in the United States is $33,081 per year or $16 per hour. Meat butcher salaries range between $27,000 and $40,000 per year.

Average Meat Butcher Salary
$33,081 Yearly
$15.90 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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How do meat butchers rate their job?

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Meat Butcher reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2022
Pros

I am good at it.

Cons

The pay could be/should be better for such a skilled and dangerous profession.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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