Slaughterers and Meat Packers pay in the U.S.
$41,770avg. a year
$20.08 an hour · 69,950 employed
Slaughterers and Meat Packers in the U.S. earn an average of $41,770 a year and a median of $40,130. Pay is highest in Arizona ($52,630) and lowest in New Mexico ($30,610).
$40,130Median pay
$20.08Average hourly
+34%Avg. pay since 2020
69,950Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for slaughterers and meat packers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1440 jobs
Arizona
$52,630
$25.31 an hour
21,590 jobs
Colorado
$51,010
$24.53 an hour
35,480 jobs
Nebraska
$48,600
$23.36 an hour
42,170 jobs
Kansas
$47,870
$23.01 an hour
52,920 jobs
Michigan
$47,090
$22.64 an hour
6840 jobs
Washington
$46,980
$22.59 an hour
780 jobs
Montana
$46,130
$22.18 an hour
8160 jobs
North Dakota
$45,420
$21.84 an hour
91,050 jobs
New Jersey
$45,040
$21.65 an hour
1040 jobs
New Hampshire
$45,010
$21.64 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Slaughterers and Meat Packers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $38k$38k–$41k$41k–$43k$43k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $50,200 | $24.14 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $48,530 | $23.33 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | $47,870 | $23.01 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | $47,160 | $22.67 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | $47,080 | $22.64 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $46,940 | $22.57 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | $46,350 | $22.29 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $46,080 | $22.15 |
Related jobs
- Bakers$38,480
- Food Batchmakers$43,750
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers$39,280
- Butchers and Meat Cutters$42,380
- Food Processing Workers, All Other$40,300
- Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders$42,570
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Slaughterers and Meat Packers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $36,340 | $36,360 | 240 |
| Arizona | $52,630 | $49,020 | 440 |
| Arkansas | $37,660 | $37,800 | 2,140 |
| California | $41,000 | $39,420 | 6,170 |
| Colorado | $51,010 | $50,480 | 1,590 |
| Connecticut | $40,960 | $36,290 | 70 |
| Delaware | $31,620 | $31,200 | 50 |
| Florida | $33,950 | $34,430 | 400 |
| Georgia | $36,610 | $36,770 | 3,660 |
| Hawaii | $41,600 | $38,890 | 120 |
| Idaho | $42,550 | $40,370 | 450 |
| Illinois | $43,430 | $44,950 | 3,360 |
| Indiana | $43,070 | $43,770 | 1,210 |
| Iowa | $42,130 | $43,820 | 4,220 |
| Kansas | $47,870 | $48,240 | 2,170 |
| Kentucky | $39,250 | $38,330 | 320 |
| Louisiana | $36,460 | $40,120 | 650 |
| Maine | $41,500 | $38,740 | 50 |
| Maryland | $40,880 | $37,650 | 130 |
| Massachusetts | $40,680 | $37,780 | 170 |
| Michigan | $47,090 | $45,850 | 2,920 |
| Minnesota | $41,950 | $43,360 | 2,820 |
| Mississippi | $33,300 | $33,650 | 1,100 |
| Missouri | $42,780 | $44,490 | 1,280 |
| Montana | $46,130 | $46,700 | 80 |
| Nebraska | $48,600 | $48,910 | 5,480 |
| Nevada | $33,360 | $30,430 | 140 |
| New Hampshire | $45,010 | $39,270 | 40 |
| New Jersey | $45,040 | $45,230 | 1,050 |
| New Mexico | $30,610 | $30,560 | – |
| New York | $39,400 | $33,880 | 1,750 |
| North Carolina | $40,420 | $39,930 | 6,120 |
| North Dakota | $45,420 | $39,730 | 160 |
| Ohio | $37,030 | $36,800 | 2,440 |
| Oklahoma | $40,080 | $45,970 | 1,560 |
| Oregon | $43,570 | $45,980 | 360 |
| Pennsylvania | $38,570 | $37,330 | 4,410 |
| Rhode Island | $41,030 | $37,570 | 280 |
| South Carolina | $42,400 | $46,000 | 250 |
| South Dakota | $43,070 | $44,410 | 740 |
| Tennessee | $37,270 | $35,790 | 650 |
| Texas | $41,490 | $43,160 | 2,950 |
| Utah | $43,060 | $44,040 | 560 |
| Vermont | $42,540 | $42,220 | 50 |
| Virginia | $36,570 | $37,430 | 1,480 |
| Washington | $46,980 | $45,100 | 840 |
| Wisconsin | $40,830 | $37,510 | 2,620 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Fresno, CA
$41,500
2,690 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$40,900
2,000 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$41,730
1,780 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$41,050
1,720 jobsOmaha, NE-IA
$47,080
1,330 jobsSioux City, IA-NE-SD
$47,870
1,120 jobsGainesville, GA
$37,910
920 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$39,040
840 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do slaughterers and meat packers make?
The average is $41,770 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $40,130 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $20.08, and the median is $19.29 an hour.
Which state pays slaughterers and meat packers the most?
Arizona, with an average of $52,630 a year. The best-paying metro area is Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO at $50,200.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $33,340 a year, and the top 10% earn over $51,090.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 51-3023. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.