Meatcutting

What the Numbers Say About Meatcutting

As of the March 2025 reporting window, 1,178 people work in the Meatcutting occupation (OPM code 7407) across federal agencies, 0.1% of the 2,289,472-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -0.6% from the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

Average tenure in Meatcutting runs 11.8 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages $59,603 per year, 45.8% below the $109,869 federal civilian average and up 1.9% from the prior period, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement.

Meatcutting sits inside the Food Preparation and Serving Family family (code 74), which contains 4 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Meatcutting postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Meatcutting makes up 10.8% of the 10,934 employees across the Food Preparation and Serving Family family, ranking #3 of 4 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (25th percentile) of pay among Food Preparation and Serving Family occupations.