Meat packer vs meat wrapper

The differences between meat packers and meat wrappers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a meat wrapper has an average salary of $30,975, which is higher than the $28,599 average annual salary of a meat packer.

The top three skills for a meat packer include pallets, OSHA and safety regulations. The most important skills for a meat wrapper are food handling, basic math, and math.

Meat packer vs meat wrapper overview

	Meat Packer	Meat Wrapper
Yearly salary	$28,599	$30,975
Hourly rate	$13.75	$14.89
Growth rate	6%	-3%
Number of jobs	23,725	8,296
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 60%	High School Diploma, 54%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	4

Meat packer vs meat wrapper salary

Meat packers and meat wrappers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Meat Packer	Meat Wrapper
Average salary	$28,599	$30,975
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $35,000	Between $23,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Denver, CO	Newington, CT
Highest paying state	Colorado	New Hampshire
Best paying company	US Foods	Costco Wholesale
Best paying industry	Finance	Retail

Differences between meat packer and meat wrapper education

There are a few differences between a meat packer and a meat wrapper in terms of educational background:

	Meat Packer	Meat Wrapper
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 60%	High School Diploma, 54%
Most common major	General Studies	Business
Most common college	-	-

Meat packer vs meat wrapper demographics

Here are the differences between meat packers' and meat wrappers' demographics:

	Meat Packer	Meat Wrapper
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 61.0% Female, 39.0%	Male, 48.5% Female, 51.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 6.2% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 6.6% White, 64.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between meat packer and meat wrapper duties and responsibilities

Meat packer example responsibilities.

Pack meat products an run packing machines
Pack meats in the various containers, run a meat grinder.
Maintain FDA regulations by keeping meat slicing utensils, tables, and floors sanitize.
Implement safety techniques according to FDA regulations and attend regular safety meetings to ensure all safety techniques are properly implement.
Attach burners on the top castings with clips.

Meat wrapper example responsibilities.

Clean and sanitize meat area in accordance with USDA standards
Unload truck and break down pallets; place and rotate boxes to specific location.
Store, take inventory, weigh, package, label and place on pallets for shipment.
Maintain department organization and cleanliness according to sanitation standards.
Collaborate with management to help maintain inventory levels.

Meat packer vs meat wrapper skills

Common meat packer skills

Pallets, 22%
OSHA, 14%
Safety Regulations, 14%
Assembly Line, 8%
Safety Standards, 7%
USDA, 6%

Common meat wrapper skills

Food Handling, 25%
Basic Math, 23%
Math, 16%
Display Cases, 7%
Product Rotation, 6%
Cleanliness, 4%

Updated January 8, 2025

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