Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

51-3022 Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers

Occupational Description:
Use hand or hand tools to perform routine cutting and trimming of meat, poultry, and seafood.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2026

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Minnesota	3,790	296	$20.64/hr	$17.75/hr	$18.05/hr	$21.35/hr	$22.52/hr	$23.00/hr

Leading Industries for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Manufacturing	2,950	$21.61/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	840	$18.57/hr

Other Regional Data for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Northeast Balance of State	N/A	N/A	N/A
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	N/A	N/A	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	30	$16.93/hr	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	30	$18.29/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	40	$20.36/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	60	$17.73/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	200	$19.00/hr	N/A
Northwest Balance of State	400	$19.03/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	420	$19.03/hr	7.8%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	420	$19.97/hr	N/A
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	520	$19.72/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	620	$21.78/hr	9.7%
Central Minnesota	770	$21.35/hr	6.5%
Southwest Balance of State	1,000	$21.35/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	1,510	$21.76/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	1,510	$21.76/hr	5.7%
Minnesota	3,790	$21.35/hr	7.2%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals	580	$22.72/hr	0.3%
Slaughterers and Meat Packers	2,820	$21.33/hr	2.7%
Painters, Construction and Maintenance	3,810	$28.29/hr	3.9%

Task for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers

Prepare ready-to-heat foods by filleting meat or fish or cutting it into bite-sized pieces, preparing and adding vegetables or applying sauces or breading.
Separate meats and byproducts into specified containers and seal containers.
Produce hamburger meat and meat trimmings.
Inspect meat products for defects, bruises or blemishes and remove them along with any excess fat.
Obtain and distribute specified meat or carcass.
Clean and salt hides.
Process primal parts into cuts that are ready for retail use.
Prepare sausages, luncheon meats, hot dogs, and other fabricated meat products, using meat trimmings and hamburger meat.
Use knives, cleavers, meat saws, bandsaws, or other equipment to perform meat cutting and trimming.
Weigh meats and tag containers for weight and contents.