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Butchers and Meat Cutters: apprenticeship hours and pay
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Approved apprenticeship titles
2 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Butchers and Meat Cutters, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 4,000 hours, for MEAT CUTTER (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| Butcher, Meat (Hotel & Restaurant) | 0894 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| MEAT CUTTER | 0316 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Competency-Based (V2): 4,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Hybrid (V2): 4,000 to 6,000 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours Time-Based (V2): 4,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What butchers and meat cutters earn, by state
Washington has the highest state median for butchers and meat cutters ($51,670) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($22,780), across the 54 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $51,670 | $24.84 | 2,660 |
| Alaska | $50,450 | $24.26 | 230 |
| Hawaii | $50,080 | $24.08 | 500 |
| Oregon | $49,360 | $23.73 | 1,540 |
| District of Columbia | $48,760 | $23.44 | 150 |
| Massachusetts | $48,430 | $23.29 | 1,480 |
| New Hampshire | $47,740 | $22.95 | 530 |
| Colorado | $47,490 | $22.83 | 2,200 |
| New York | $47,080 | $22.63 | 4,540 |
| Delaware | $47,040 | $22.61 | 250 |
| Wisconsin | $45,980 | $22.11 | 3,510 |
| Arizona | $45,780 | $22.01 | 2,130 |
| Vermont | $45,580 | $21.92 | 370 |
| Rhode Island | $45,210 | $21.73 | 260 |
| Wyoming | $44,820 | $21.55 | 210 |
| Connecticut | $44,570 | $21.43 | 1,210 |
| California | $44,290 | $21.29 | 18,700 |
| Maryland | $44,130 | $21.22 | 1,500 |
| Minnesota | $43,930 | $21.12 | 1,590 |
| Utah | $43,440 | $20.89 | 1,500 |
| Florida | $42,790 | $20.57 | 10,590 |
| Indiana | $42,440 | $20.40 | 1,850 |
| Montana | $41,600 | $20.00 | 740 |
| Nevada | $40,290 | $19.37 | 1,560 |
| North Dakota | $40,080 | $19.27 | 470 |
| Tennessee | $39,960 | $19.21 | 2,650 |
| South Carolina | $39,790 | $19.13 | 2,380 |
| Virginia | $39,770 | $19.12 | 2,630 |
| Michigan | $39,350 | $18.92 | 4,230 |
| Illinois | $39,240 | $18.86 | 7,710 |
| Georgia | $38,540 | $18.53 | 4,420 |
| New Jersey | $38,540 | $18.53 | 4,610 |
| Pennsylvania | $38,340 | $18.43 | 3,540 |
| Maine | $38,250 | $18.39 | 830 |
| North Carolina | $38,240 | $18.38 | 3,120 |
| Idaho | $38,030 | $18.28 | 1,480 |
| Missouri | $37,860 | $18.20 | 2,160 |
| Iowa | $37,750 | $18.15 | 4,480 |
| Nebraska | $37,630 | $18.09 | 1,380 |
| Ohio | $37,630 | $18.09 | 5,640 |
| Texas | $37,400 | $17.98 | 11,260 |
| Kansas | $37,320 | $17.94 | 1,200 |
| South Dakota | $37,310 | $17.94 | 520 |
| Louisiana | $36,790 | $17.69 | 2,240 |
| New Mexico | $36,640 | $17.62 | 810 |
| Alabama | $36,500 | $17.55 | 2,350 |
| Kentucky | $35,430 | $17.03 | 1,670 |
| Oklahoma | $35,070 | $16.86 | 1,810 |
| Arkansas | $34,380 | $16.53 | 1,290 |
| West Virginia | $33,570 | $16.14 | 600 |
| Mississippi | $29,700 | $14.28 | 1,160 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | $29,120 | $14.00 | 100 |
| Guam | $29,110 | $14.00 | 40 |
| Puerto Rico | $22,780 | $10.95 | 2,180 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).