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Butchers and Meat Cutters

Production · SOC 51-3021

0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$40,140
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
17,400
Proj. Annual Openings
136,430
Employment (OEWS 2025)
0%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score

AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.

Decision card

Career Evidence Passport

SOC 51-3021 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.

Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
SOC exposure
0.0%
Low · Anthropic AEI
Automation friction
48/100
Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
Wages
$40,140
No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
Projected openings
17,400
BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +1.0%.
Observed/proxy demand
0
FY2025 certified LCAs; 20,050 postings in 2025.

Skill evidence

Active ListeningReading ComprehensionSpeakingCritical ThinkingMonitoring

Transition context

  • H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
  • Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
  • Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
  • This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.

AI Exposure Analysis

AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure0.7%

Across AI measures

Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.

17.9%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI13.2%
AI ability · AIOE40.5%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne93%

Top Skills

1.Active Listening
2.Reading Comprehension
3.Speaking
4.Critical Thinking
5.Monitoring

H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand

View full H-1B trends →

Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.

3
Decade Total (Certified LCAs)
0
FY2025 Volume
0% of all H-1B filings in FY2025
$0
Median Offered Wage (Latest Year)
#565 of 776
Rank by Total Volume
H-1B filing volume, FY2016–FY2025

O*NET occupation profile

What this work involves

Cut, trim, or prepare consumer-sized portions of meat for use or sale in retail establishments.

Common titles: Butcher, Meat Clerk, Meat Cutter, Meat Specialist, Meat Wrapper

Representative Tasks

  • 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.

Detailed Work Activities

  • Prepare meat products for sale or consumption.
  • Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information.
  • Weigh finished products.
  • Cut meat products.
  • Inspect food products.

Tools & Technologies

Microsoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Office software · hotMicrosoft Outlook · hotMicrosoft Word · hotFinancial accounting software

Employment Projections & AI Exposure

15
Occupations Shown
0.5%
Avg AI Exposure
1
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.

Employment & Wage Trend

BLS OEWS, 2019–2025


Occupation Employment & Wage TrendMulti-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 51-3021: 2019 — employment: 136,770, median wage: $32,500; 2020 — employment: 142,220, median wage: $32,900; 2021 — employment: 145,930, median wage: $36,050; 2022 — employment: 129,400, median wage: $36,930; 2023 — employment: 136,330, median wage: $37,650; 2025 — employment: 136,430, median wage: $40,140.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.

Sector Comparison

MetricThis CareerSector Average
AI Exposure0.0%0.7%
OutlookAverage4% Bright
Median Salary$40,140N/A
AI Resiliency100/100N/A