Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers Salary
The median pay for a meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers in Merced, CA is $35,070/year ($16.86/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $35K at the entry level to $43K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.28), that's roughly $35,684 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,503/month, about 62.1% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $35K get you in Merced?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Merced’s Regional Price Parity (98.28). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
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What this looks like in Merced
Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers pay in Merced tracks closely to the national median, $35K locally vs. $38K nationwide, a 8% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,503/month, which is 60.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.28) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers in metros near Merced, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $37K | $32K |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $36K | $34K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $40K | $35K |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | $38K | $36K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Merced, CA
Entry-level meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers (10th percentile) start around $35K. Mid-career wages sit at $35K. Top earners bring in $43K or more, a $9K spread from bottom to top.
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | $50K | +32% | 2,470 |
| Arizona | $49K | +27% | 620 |
| Kansas | $48K | +26% | 5,000 |
| Nebraska | $48K | +24% | 8,340 |
| New Hampshire | $47K | +23% | N/A |
| North Dakota | $47K | +23% | 390 |
| Michigan | $44K | +16% | 920 |
| South Dakota | $44K | +16% | 2,080 |
| Utah | $44K | +15% | 1,080 |
| Minnesota | $43K | +13% | 3,790 |
| Wisconsin | $43K | +13% | 2,040 |
| Iowa | $43K | +13% | 3,970 |
| Washington | $43K | +12% | 3,630 |
| Indiana | $42K | +11% | 2,640 |
| Missouri | $42K | +9% | 2,880 |
| Illinois | $41K | +6% | 4,040 |
| Hawaii | $40K | +5% | 800 |
| Vermont | $40K | +5% | 40 |
| Georgia | $39K | +3% | 11,480 |
| Idaho | $39K | +2% | 280 |
| Maine | $39K | +2% | 660 |
| North Carolina | $39K | +2% | 9,750 |
| Kentucky | $39K | +2% | 1,450 |
| Arkansas | $38K | -1% | 9,030 |
| Nevada | $38K | -1% | 360 |
| Mississippi | $38K | -1% | 6,470 |
| Rhode Island | $38K | -1% | 320 |
| Tennessee | $38K | -2% | 2,970 |
| Montana | $37K | -2% | 60 |
| New York | $37K | -3% | 2,420 |
| Alaska | $37K | -3% | 970 |
| Wyoming | $37K | -3% | 70 |
| Ohio | $37K | -3% | 3,540 |
| West Virginia | $37K | -4% | 220 |
| California | $37K | -5% | 9,270 |
| Massachusetts | $37K | -5% | 2,350 |
| Pennsylvania | $36K | -5% | 1,600 |
| Oklahoma | $36K | -5% | 1,530 |
| Virginia | $36K | -6% | 2,740 |
| Oregon | $36K | -6% | 910 |
| Texas | $36K | -6% | 8,590 |
| Delaware | $36K | -7% | 5,430 |
| New Jersey | $35K | -9% | N/A |
| South Carolina | $35K | -9% | 2,750 |
| Connecticut | $35K | -9% | N/A |
| Maryland | $33K | -14% | 680 |
| New Mexico | $31K | -18% | 240 |
| Florida | $31K | -19% | 2,310 |
| Alabama | $31K | -19% | 9,140 |
| Louisiana | $28K | -27% | 1,690 |
Showing 1–10 of 50 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Merced numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Merced?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $35K, rent takes 60.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,503/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers in Merced?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers typically earn — is $35K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,078/month. At HUD’s $1,503/month FMR, rent would take 72% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmer a high-paying job in Merced?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $35K locally vs. $38K nationally, a 8% difference.
How does Merced compare to the national average for meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers?
Merced pays $35K median vs. the U.S. average of $38K — that’s -8%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.28), the purchasing-power equivalent is $36K — below the national median.
How much do meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers make in Merced, CA?
The median is $35,070 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $34,630, and experienced meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers can clear $43,290. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $35K enough to live in Merced?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,470/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,503/month, which eats 60.9% 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 meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers salary go in Merced?
Merced has a Regional Price Parity of 98.28 (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 meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers salary is worth about $35,684 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers 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.