Slaughterers and Meat Packers Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for slaughterers and meat packerss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $41,770 ≈ $20/hr

National median salary $40,130

Total employment 69,950 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +2.2% About as fast as average

Annual openings 8,400 per year (avg)

Employment 2024→2034 69,600 → 71,200 (+1,500)

Typical entry education No formal educational credential

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

AK ME WI VT NH WA ID MT ND MN IL MI NY MA OR NV WY SD IA IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA UT CO NE MO KY WV VA MD DE AZ NM KS AR TN NC SC DC OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL

Mean annual wage $31,000–$37,000 $37,000–$41,000 $41,000–$42,000 $42,000–$44,000 $44,000–$53,000 U.S. mean $41,770

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

Arizona$52,630
Colorado$51,010
Nebraska$48,600
Kansas$47,870
Michigan$47,090

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

New Mexico$30,610
Delaware$31,620
Mississippi$33,300
Nevada$33,360
Florida$33,950

State Rankings

⇄ Compare specific states

#	State	Mean	Median	Hourly	vs. U.S.	Employment
1	Arizona	$52,630	$49,020	$25	+26%	440
2	Colorado	$51,010	$50,480	$25	+22.1%	1,590
3	Nebraska	$48,600	$48,910	$23	+16.4%	5,480
4	Kansas	$47,870	$48,240	$23	+14.6%	2,170
5	Michigan	$47,090	$45,850	$23	+12.7%	2,920
6	Washington	$46,980	$45,100	$23	+12.5%	840
7	Montana	$46,130	$46,700	$22	+10.4%	80
8	North Dakota	$45,420	$39,730	$22	+8.7%	160
9	New Jersey	$45,040	$45,230	$22	+7.8%	1,050
10	New Hampshire	$45,010	$39,270	$22	+7.8%	40
11	Oregon	$43,570	$45,980	$21	+4.3%	360
12	Illinois	$43,430	$44,950	$21	+4%	3,360
13	Indiana	$43,070	$43,770	$21	+3.1%	1,210
14	South Dakota	$43,070	$44,410	$21	+3.1%	740
15	Utah	$43,060	$44,040	$21	+3.1%	560
16	Missouri	$42,780	$44,490	$21	+2.4%	1,280
17	Idaho	$42,550	$40,370	$20	+1.9%	450
18	Vermont	$42,540	$42,220	$20	+1.8%	50
19	South Carolina	$42,400	$46,000	$20	+1.5%	250
20	Iowa	$42,130	$43,820	$20	+0.9%	4,220
21	Minnesota	$41,950	$43,360	$20	+0.4%	2,820
22	Hawaii	$41,600	$38,890	$20	-0.4%	120
23	Maine	$41,500	$38,740	$20	-0.6%	50
24	Texas	$41,490	$43,160	$20	-0.7%	2,950
25	Rhode Island	$41,030	$37,570	$20	-1.8%	280
26	California	$41,000	$39,420	$20	-1.8%	6,170
27	Connecticut	$40,960	$36,290	$20	-1.9%	70
28	Maryland	$40,880	$37,650	$20	-2.1%	130
29	Wisconsin	$40,830	$37,510	$20	-2.3%	2,620
30	Massachusetts	$40,680	$37,780	$20	-2.6%	170
31	North Carolina	$40,420	$39,930	$19	-3.2%	6,120
32	Oklahoma	$40,080	$45,970	$19	-4%	1,560
33	New York	$39,400	$33,880	$19	-5.7%	1,750
34	Kentucky	$39,250	$38,330	$19	-6%	320
35	Pennsylvania	$38,570	$37,330	$19	-7.7%	4,410
36	Arkansas	$37,660	$37,800	$18	-9.8%	2,140
37	Tennessee	$37,270	$35,790	$18	-10.8%	650
38	Ohio	$37,030	$36,800	$18	-11.3%	2,440
39	Georgia	$36,610	$36,770	$18	-12.4%	3,660
40	Virginia	$36,570	$37,430	$18	-12.4%	1,480
41	Louisiana	$36,460	$40,120	$18	-12.7%	650
42	Alabama	$36,340	$36,360	$17	-13%	240
43	Florida	$33,950	$34,430	$16	-18.7%	400
44	Nevada	$33,360	$30,430	$16	-20.1%	140
45	Mississippi	$33,300	$33,650	$16	-20.3%	1,100
46	Delaware	$31,620	$31,200	$15	-24.3%	50
47	New Mexico	$30,610	$30,560	$15	-26.7%	—

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 111 metro areas.

#	Metro area	Median	Mean	Employment
1	Trenton-Princeton, NJ	$52,180	$51,260	40
2	South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area	$50,670	$46,870	460
3	Sioux City, IA-NE-SD	$49,600	$47,870	1,120
4	Corpus Christi, TX	$49,460	$46,470	50
5	Eastern and Southern Colorado nonmetropolitan area	$49,370	$49,430	330
6	West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area	$48,710	$43,380	280
7	Kansas nonmetropolitan area	$48,240	$48,010	1,910
8	Northwestern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area	$48,150	$46,230	570
9	Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL	$48,120	$46,350	430
10	Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH	$48,030	$43,550	110

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing slaughterers and meat packerss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#	Industry	Median	Mean	Employment
1	Food Manufacturing	$41,300	$42,160	63,380
2	Animal Slaughtering and Processing	$41,300	$42,170	63,200
3	Sectors 31, 32, and 33 - Manufacturing	$41,300	$42,170	63,400
4	Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods	$40,250	$41,460	1,590
5	Sector 42 - Wholesale Trade	$40,250	$41,460	1,590
6	Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only)	$40,250	$41,460	1,590
7	Cross-Industry, Private, Federal, State, and Local	$40,130	$41,770	69,950
8	Cross-industry, Private Ownership only	$40,130	$41,770	69,950
9	Animal Food Manufacturing	$38,420	$38,720	50
10	Administrative and Support Services	$35,560	$35,750	1,740
11	Employment Services	$35,560	$35,750	1,740
12	Temporary Help Services	$35,560	$35,150	1,570

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do slaughterers and meat packers make in the U.S.?

The median slaughterers and meat packers salary in the United States is $40,130 per year (mean $41,770), and about 80% earn between $33,340 and $51,090.

How much do slaughterers and meat packers make per hour?

Roughly $20 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $41,770 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays slaughterers and meat packers the most?

Arizona has the highest average pay for slaughterers and meat packers at $52,630 per year (median $49,020).

What is the job outlook for slaughterers and meat packers?

Employment is projected to change +2.2% from 2024 to 2034 (About as fast as average), with about 8,400 openings per year.