SalaryExplorer

SOC 51-3021 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Butchers and Meat Cutters — Longview

Longview-Kelso, WA · 9 metro areas compared

$53,550 /year
$25.74per hour
40jobs in area
+33.4%vs US median

In Longview, WA the median wage for Butchers and Meat Cutters reaches $53,550 a year.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $40,14010TH$37,00025TH$46,690MEDIAN$53,550

How pay has moved

$57,345$34,5752019202020212022202320242025$53,550
$40,650 in 2019 to $53,550 in 2025, +31.7% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow more slowly than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+1.0%
Openings per year
16,900
Typical entry-level education
No formal educational credential
On-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Longview-Kelso, WA.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

In Longview, WA the median wage for Butchers and Meat Cutters reaches $53,550 a year. That is 33.4% more than the national median of $40,140. Pay ranges from under $37,000 at the tenth percentile to more than $55,580 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $46,690 to $54,560.

The area has 40 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 1.13 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Within the state, Seattle records the highest median at $60,600. Of the 198 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 132nd.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Longview-Kelso, WA · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$37,000−7.8%
25th$46,690+16.3%
Median (50th)$53,550+33.4%
75th$54,560+35.9%
90th$55,580+38.5%
Mean$49,750+23.9%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Washington

Median annual wage for Butchers and Meat Cutters, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Seattle$60,6001,300
2Bremerton$57,930100
3Bellingham$50,97090
4Mount Vernon$50,72060
5Olympia$49,790110
6Spokane$49,320220
7Wenatchee$48,70040
8Yakima$47,540100
9Kennewick$44,450110

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Longview run 2.5% below the national average, so the median of $53,550 goes as far as $54,923 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 36.8% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$53,550as reported by BLS

Local price level

97.5US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$54,923US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $53,550 a year, 33.4% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $37,000 to $55,580 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 40 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Seattle, at $60,600.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Butchers and Meat Cutters in Longview, WA?

The median annual wage is $53,550, or $25.74 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $40,140, so pay in Longview, WA is 33.4% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Longview, WA earns more than $55,580 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $37,000 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Seattle, at $60,600 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 40 jobs in this occupation in Longview, WA. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.