Slaughterers and Meat Packers Salary
The median pay for a slaughterers and meat packers in St. Louis, MO-IL is $38,840/year ($18.67/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $51K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.09), that's roughly $40,846 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,218/month, about 46% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $39K get you in St. Louis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by St. Louis’s Regional Price Parity (95.09). 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.
About slaughterers and meat packers
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What this looks like in St. Louis
Slaughterers and meat packers pay in St. Louis tracks closely to the national median, $39K locally vs. $40K nationwide, a 3% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,218/month, which is 45.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 95.09) 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 slaughterers and meat packers in metros near St. Louis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | $39K | $42K |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $39K | $38K |
| Omaha | $46K | $50K |
| Sioux City | $50K | $57K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, St. Louis, MO-IL
Entry-level slaughterers and meat packers (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $39K. Top earners bring in $51K or more, a $19K spread from bottom to top.
Slaughterers and Meat Packers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Slaughterers and Meat Packers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | $50K | +26% | 1,590 |
| Arizona | $49K | +22% | 440 |
| Nebraska | $49K | +22% | 5,480 |
| Kansas | $48K | +20% | 2,170 |
| Montana | $47K | +16% | 80 |
| South Carolina | $46K | +15% | 250 |
| Oregon | $46K | +15% | 360 |
| Oklahoma | $46K | +15% | 1,560 |
| Michigan | $46K | +14% | 2,920 |
| New Jersey | $45K | +13% | 1,050 |
| Washington | $45K | +12% | 840 |
| Illinois | $45K | +12% | 3,360 |
| Missouri | $44K | +11% | 1,280 |
| South Dakota | $44K | +11% | 740 |
| Utah | $44K | +10% | 560 |
| Iowa | $44K | +9% | 4,220 |
| Indiana | $44K | +9% | 1,210 |
| Minnesota | $43K | +8% | 2,820 |
| Texas | $43K | +8% | 2,950 |
| Vermont | $42K | +5% | 50 |
| Idaho | $40K | +1% | 450 |
| Louisiana | $40K | -0% | 650 |
| North Carolina | $40K | -0% | 6,120 |
| North Dakota | $40K | -1% | 160 |
| California | $39K | -2% | 6,170 |
| New Hampshire | $39K | -2% | 40 |
| Hawaii | $39K | -3% | 120 |
| Maine | $39K | -3% | 50 |
| Kentucky | $38K | -4% | 320 |
| Arkansas | $38K | -6% | 2,140 |
| Massachusetts | $38K | -6% | 170 |
| Maryland | $38K | -6% | 130 |
| Rhode Island | $38K | -6% | 280 |
| Wisconsin | $38K | -7% | 2,620 |
| Virginia | $37K | -7% | 1,480 |
| Pennsylvania | $37K | -7% | 4,410 |
| Ohio | $37K | -8% | 2,440 |
| Georgia | $37K | -8% | 3,660 |
| Alabama | $36K | -9% | 240 |
| Connecticut | $36K | -10% | 70 |
| Tennessee | $36K | -11% | 650 |
| Florida | $34K | -14% | 400 |
| New York | $34K | -16% | 1,750 |
| Mississippi | $34K | -16% | 1,100 |
| Delaware | $31K | -22% | 50 |
| New Mexico | $31K | -24% | N/A |
| Nevada | $30K | -24% | 140 |
Showing 1–10 of 47 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track slaughterers and meat packers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when St. Louis numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a slaughterers and meat packer afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Louis?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $39K, rent takes 45.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,218/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for slaughterers and meat packers in St. Louis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new slaughterers and meat packers typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,872/month. At HUD’s $1,218/month FMR, rent would take 65% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is slaughterers and meat packer a high-paying job in St. Louis?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $39K locally vs. $40K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does St. Louis compare to the national average for slaughterers and meat packers?
St. Louis pays $39K median vs. the U.S. average of $40K — that’s -3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $41K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do slaughterers and meat packers make in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The median is $38,840 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,200, and experienced slaughterers and meat packers can clear $50,680. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $39K enough to live in St. Louis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,683/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,218/month, which eats 45.4% 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 slaughterers and meat packers salary go in St. Louis?
St. Louis has a Regional Price Parity of 95.09 (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 slaughterers and meat packers salary is worth about $40,846 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do slaughterers and meat packers 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.