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Slaughterers and Meat Packers

Perform slaughtering and meat-packing tasks.

Quick Facts

Wages:	Below the statewide median $18.61 / hour Read more about wages
Outlook:	Average Growth rate: 4.3% Read more about outlook
Education:	High School or less is typically required.
On the Job:	Typical Work Tasks Cut meat products. Prepare meat products for sale or consumption. Process animal carcasses. Slaughter animals. Read more about the job
Job Title Examples:	Meat Manager Meat Packer Meat Trimmer See more job title examples

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This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Wages & Outlook

Typical Wages

Wages listed below are for a variety of experience and education levels. Make sure that you research the typical entry-level education and work experience and training requirements for this occupation.

This career: $18.61
Statewide median: $24.25

This career pays below the statewide median wage.

Wages for Slaughterers and Meat Packers *

Area	Low	Median	High
U S	$15.38	$17.65	$19.26
Minnesota	$17.93	$18.61	$21.99
Central Minnesota	$17.87	$18.61	$18.66
Northwest Minnesota	$17.41	$17.41	$18.25
Southeast Minnesota	$18.50	$18.69	$22.33
Southwest Minnesota	$18.60	$18.82	$23.67

* "Low" indicates 25% of workers earn less and 75% earn more.
"Median" indicates 50% of workers earn less and 50% earn more.
"High" indicates 75% of workers earn less and 25% earn more.

See more wage detail.

Employment

In Minnesota, there are 3,980 workers employed in this small career.

Where do Slaughterers and Meat Packers most often work?

Current Demand

This career is currently in moderate demand.

Future Demand

This career is high growth compared to other careers.

There will be a need for about 6,961 new Slaughterers and Meat Packers to meet market demand between 2020-2030. This includes the demand due to replacement (workers leaving the occupation or retiring) as well as growth.

Employment Outlook for Slaughterers and Meat Packers
Area	Employment		Employment Change
Area	2020	2030	Number	Percent
U S	79,700	83,100	3,400	4.3%
Minnesota	5,761	5,978	217	3.8%
Central Minnesota	1,248	1,293	45	3.6%
Northwest Minnesota	837	874	37	4.4%
Southeast Minnesota	1,519	1,576	57	3.8%
Southwest Minnesota	1,603	1,662	59	3.7%

On the Job

Slaughterers and Meat Packers work in slaughtering or meat packing establishments. They may slaughter animals, pack meats for sale, or make sausage.

Physical Demands

This career requires time standing, walking, or running.

Typical Work Tasks

People who work in this career often:

Cut meat products.
Prepare meat products for sale or consumption.
Process animal carcasses.
Slaughter animals.
Clean materials to prepare them for production.

Typical Working Conditions

Wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats, or life jackets.
Using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools, or controls.
Working with a group or team.
A work pace that is determined by the speed of equipment.
Working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions.
Having face-to-face discussions.
Responsibility for others' health and safety.
The importance of being accurate or exact.
Exposure to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings.
Serious consequences if mistakes are made.

Education & Credentials

Educational Requirements

High School or less

Education level attained (national data)

Education Level Attained (national data)
Education Level Attained	Percentage of workers in this occupation
Less than high school diploma	34.6
High school diploma or equivalent	39
Some college, no degree	18.2
Associate degree	4.5
Bachelors degree	3.3
Masters degree	0.4
Doctoral (Ph.D) or professional degree	0.1

Work Experience and Training Requirements

Nationally, this career typically requires:

No related work experience for entry.
Short-term on-the-job training to become competent.

Transfer Options

Enrolling in a community college can be a great place to start your four-year degree. While all 31 Minnesota State community colleges, technical colleges and universities offer all or part of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (a 40-credit package of general education courses accepted for transfer to other state colleges and universities, the University of Minnesota, and some private colleges and universities), not all two-year colleges offer degrees intended to transfer to a four-year bachelor's degree.

If you plan to transfer to obtain a four-year bachelor's degree, it is important to know which degree path is right for you:

Associate of Arts (AA) degrees offered at community colleges are designed to transfer into liberal arts four-year majors.
Associate of Science (AS) and Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) degrees offered at community and technical colleges transfer into specific four-year majors and will likely require completing additional general education courses at a university.
Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees offered at technical and community colleges are not designed to transfer. They lead to immediate entry into the workplace.
Diplomas and certificates offered at technical colleges are not designed to transfer. They lead to immediate entry into the workplace.

Talk to a transfer specialist as early as possible to determine the best associate degree for your goals. Be sure to review your Degree Audit Report (DARS) each semester to best prepare for transfer. Get more help understanding transfer using the tools below.

Visit Transferology to see if your courses will transfer.
Search Articulation Agreements to find formal transfer agreements between schools.

Helpful High School Courses

Examples of helpful classes that help you prepare for this career:

Applied Math
Blueprint Reading
Computer Applications
Drafting
Electronics
Geometry

Industrial Technology
Introduction to Business
Physics
Pre-Calculus
Technical Writing
Trigonometry

In Minnesota, your school may have developed a Program of Study in this career area. A Program of Study is an academic and career plan developed by your high school to help move you towards a career and college path. A Program of Study can help you:

Select high school classes that prepare you for college and getting a job
Understand how the classes you're taking in high school lead to a career
Identify extra-curricular activities that are related to your career interest
See what classes at your school offer early college credit that will save you time and money towards your college expenses
Graduate from high school prepared for your next step toward the career you choose

Skills & Knowledge

Most Important Skills for Slaughterers and Meat Packers

Listening—Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Operating Equipment—Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Controlling Quality—Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Monitoring Equipment—Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Coordinating with Others—Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Managing Time—Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Monitoring Performance—Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Speaking—Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Thinking Critically—Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Being Aware of Others—Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Most Important Knowledge Areas for Slaughterers and Meat Packers

Food Production—Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Customer and Personal Service—Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Production and Processing—Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Mathematics—Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
English Language—Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Public Safety and Security—Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Law and Government—Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Sales and Marketing—Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Administration and Management—Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Clerical—Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

Interests

Different careers may be a good fit for your personality or interests. This career is:

Realistic—Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Conventional—Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Learn more about your interests. Take the MnCareers Interest Assessment.

Describe Your Skills

People who have worked in this career typically perform the following tasks. These statements can help a prospective employer understand what you can do, on a resume or during an interview.

Handling and moving objects.
Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to find or fix problems.
Performing general physical abilities.
Monitoring information from a variety of sources to find problems.
Collecting information from different sources.
Identifying information by categorizing, comparing, or detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Communicating with supervisors, co-workers, or people that work under you.
Controlling machines and processes.

Careers that Use Similar Skills

The following careers use skills, knowledge, and abilities that are similar to those used for Slaughterers and Meat Packers.

View more careers in the Manufacturing cluster

View more careers in the Food Products and Processing Systems pathway

Please visit CareerOneStop to search Tools & Technology.

Jobs

Real-time job data provided by Gartner TalentNeuron

Job Title Examples

Meat Manager, Meat Packer, Meat Trimmer, Boning Room Worker, Deboner, Journeyman Meat Cutter, Kill Room Operator, Market Manager, Meat Clerk, Meat Department Manager, Meat Packager, Meat Specialist, Meat Wrapper, Seafood and Service Meat Manager

Where Do Slaughterers and Meat Packers Work?

Slaughterers and Meat Packers often work in the following industries.

Similar Careers

Below are careers that use skill sets that are similar to Slaughterers and Meat Packers.

Source: You can learn about our data sources in the About Us section.

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