Food Processing Workers

How to become a Slaughterer or Meat Packer

Official title: Slaughterers and Meat Packers

Also called: Boning Room Worker, Meat Packager, Meat Packer, Meat Processor, Meat Wrapper, Saw Man, Side Puller, Wrapper

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.

How to become one

Meat, poultry, and fish processing workers typically need no formal educational credential. They learn their skills on the job.

Typical education to start: No formal educational credential

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

Apprenticeship: Butcher, Allround.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $40,130 a year The middle half earn $36,150 to $46,870.
About 71,200 people work in this job now, and about 72,600 are projected by 2035. (+2%)
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Slaughterer or Meat Packer?

Meat, poultry, and fish processing workers typically need no formal educational credential. They learn their skills on the job.

How much does a Slaughterer or Meat Packer earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $40,130 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $36,150 to $46,870.

Is a Slaughterer or Meat Packer a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 71,200 people now and 72,600 later (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Slaughterer or Meat Packer?

Usually not. Only 5% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Butcher, Allround.

Will AI change the work of a Slaughterer or Meat Packer?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 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.