Also called: Butcher, Meat Cutter
Cuts, trims and prepares meat into steaks, chops and roasts for stores, restaurants and processing plants.
You break down a side of beef with a band saw and knives, turning it into steaks and roasts. You trim fat, grind burger and help customers with special orders. Good butchers are in demand and some open their own shops.
BLS butchers and meat cutters; approximate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school plus on-the-job training or apprenticeship.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Apprenticeship. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Meat Science (certificate).
Growing slowly (about 1% over 10 years).
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Store butchery stays hands-on and customer-facing; plant cutting is slowly getting more automated.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at grocery meat departments or butcher shops; they train cutters on the job
Classes: Culinary arts class, Agriculture class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-3021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.