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

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmerss

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (1 such areas are excluded here). Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Top 25 of 133 metro areas

Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	Topeka, KS	$52,050	120	1.1
2	Sheboygan, WI	$50,410	70	1.1
3	Omaha, NE-IA	$49,810	1,920	3.9
4	Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI	$48,890	90	0.1
5	Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$48,880	230	0.1
6	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$48,550	550	0.2
7	Sioux City, IA-NE-SD	$47,580	1,700	22.6
8	Kansas City, MO-KS	$45,820	470	0.4
9	Portland-South Portland, ME	$45,800	310	1.1
10	Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA	$45,750	180	0.4
11	Akron, OH	$45,170	60	0.2
12	Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN	$44,280	310	0.5
13	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN	$44,220	430	0.4
14	Winston-Salem, NC	$44,020	110	0.4
15	Boise City, ID	$43,480	40	0.1
16	Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA	$43,340	30	0.2
17	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$43,190	1,370	0.7
18	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	$43,150	360	0.3
19	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$42,750	260	0.2
20	Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	$42,140	230	0.2
21	Canton-Massillon, OH	$41,920	190	1.2
22	St. Joseph, MO-KS	$41,890	660	12.1
23	Fargo, ND-MN	$41,400	40	0.3
24	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$40,690	2,770	0.6
25	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	$40,640	530	0.4

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.