Butcher job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

7

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Butchers and Meat Cutters

O*NET-SOC 51-3021.00

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

No formal educational credential

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$40,140

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Butchers and Meat Cutters (O*NET-SOC 51-3021.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Butcher” in its Sample of Reported Titles (the titles job holders report) for this occupation only (also listed from O*NET job-incumbent data, the SOC Index and employer job postings). 1 other occupation carries it only as an alternate title (from the U.S. Employment and Training Administration), never as a reported title or a SOC Index title. Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Prepare and place meat cuts and products in display counter to appear attractive and catch the shopper's eye. importance 4.7 of 5
2. Wrap, weigh, label, and price cuts of meat. importance 4.6 of 5
3. Cut, trim, bone, tie, and grind meats, such as beef, pork, poultry, and fish, to prepare in cooking form. importance 4.5 of 5
4. Prepare special cuts of meat ordered by customers. importance 4.5 of 5
5. Receive, inspect, and store meat upon delivery to ensure meat quality. importance 4.5 of 5
6. Estimate requirements and order or requisition meat supplies to maintain inventories. importance 4.3 of 5
7. Shape, lace, and tie roasts, using boning knife, skewer, and twine. importance 3.9 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Getting Information, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Performing General Physical Activities and Selling or Influencing Others.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Record quantity of meat received and issued to cooks or keep records of meat sales.
• Supervise other butchers or meat cutters.
• Cure, smoke, tenderize, and preserve meat.
• Negotiate with representatives from supply companies to determine order details.

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, Food Production, Production and Processing and Sales and Marketing.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, Financial accounting software, Web browser software. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 1-2 of 5 (very little to some preparation). Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

Most butchers surveyed by O*NET (70%) name a high school diploma or equivalent as the education the job requires.

Job title: Butcher
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Butcher to cut, trim, or prepare consumer-sized portions of meat for use or sale in retail establishments.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Prepare and place meat cuts and products in display counter to appear attractive and catch the shopper's eye.
- Wrap, weigh, label, and price cuts of meat.
- Cut, trim, bone, tie, and grind meats, such as beef, pork, poultry, and fish, to prepare in cooking form.
- Prepare special cuts of meat ordered by customers.
- Receive, inspect, and store meat upon delivery to ensure meat quality.
- Estimate requirements and order or requisition meat supplies to maintain inventories.
- Shape, lace, and tie roasts, using boning knife, skewer, and twine.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists no formal educational credential as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in active listening, social perceptiveness and service orientation
- Working knowledge of Customer and Personal Service and Food Production
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For Butchers and Meat Cutters, the median annual wage was $40,140 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $19.30. BLS estimates about 136,430 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Butchers and Meat Cutters to grow 2.4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 15,100 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real butcher posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Prepare and place meat cuts and products in display counter to appear…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only butcher work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (active listening and social perceptiveness): a real situation, what you did and what changed.