Butchers and Meat Cutters Salary
In New York, butchers and meat cutters earn $47,080 at the median, or about $22.63 an hour. The range runs from $36K at the entry level to $67K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.21), that's roughly $47,938 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,917/month, about 59% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across New York. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $47K get you in New York?
About butchers and meat cutters
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What this looks like in New York
New York sits well above the national pay line for butchers and meat cutters, local pay runs about 17% higher than the U.S. median of $40K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,917/month, which is 60.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.21) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, New York
Entry-level butchers and meat cutters (10th percentile) start around $36K. Mid-career wages sit at $47K. Top earners bring in $67K or more, a $31K spread from bottom to top.
Butchers and Meat Cutters salary by metro in New York
11 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga | $49K | +4% | 300 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh | $49K | +4% | 160 |
| Kingston | $48K | +3% | 40 |
| Watertown-Fort Drum | $48K | +2% | 30 |
| Glens Falls | $48K | +1% | 30 |
| Syracuse | $47K | +0% | 160 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy | $46K | -2% | 260 |
| Utica-Rome | $46K | -3% | 60 |
| Rochester | $45K | -3% | 250 |
| Binghamton | $43K | -9% | 80 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $42K | -10% | 6,220 |
Showing 1–10 of 11 metros
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BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when New York numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a butchers and meat cutter afford a 2BR apartment alone in New York?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $47K, rent takes 60.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,917/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for butchers and meat cutters in New York?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new butchers and meat cutters typically earn — is $36K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,159/month. At HUD’s $1,917/month FMR, rent would take 89% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is butchers and meat cutter a high-paying job in New York?
Local pay is 17% above the national median — $47K here vs. $40K nationally.
How does New York compare to the national average for butchers and meat cutters?
New York pays $47K median vs. the U.S. average of $40K — that’s +17%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.21), the purchasing-power equivalent is $48K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do butchers and meat cutters make in New York?
The median is $47,080 a year, that works out to about $23 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $35,980, and experienced butchers and meat cutters can clear $66,580. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $47K enough to live in New York?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,157/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,917/month, which eats 60.7% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a butchers and meat cutters salary go in New York?
New York has a Regional Price Parity of 98.21 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median butchers and meat cutters salary is worth about $47,938 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do butchers and meat cutters get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.