Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Typical education: Less than a High School Diploma
Mark or discard items with defects such as spots, stains, scars, snags, chips, scratches, or unacceptable shapes or finishes.
Trim excess material or cut threads off finished products, such as cutting loose ends of plastic off a manufactured toy for a smoother finish.
Cut, shape, and trim materials, such as textiles, food, glass, stone, and metal, using knives, scissors, and other hand tools, portable power tools, or bench-mounted tools.
Position templates or measure materials to locate specified points of cuts or to obtain maximum yields, using rules, scales, or patterns.
Read work orders to determine dimensions, cutting locations, and quantities to cut.
Top skills:Time ManagementSpeakingActive ListeningSocial PerceptivenessReading ComprehensionMonitoring
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Cutters and Trimmers, Hand pay by experience level
Entry level$27,500
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$35,000
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$39,500
Mid-career median pay
Senior$49,500
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$60,000
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
-18.1%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
600
projected openings per year
Declining
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Cutters and Trimmers, Hand salary by industry
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing
1,070 workers
$49,000
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only)
1,070 workers
$49,000
Administrative and Support Services
790 workers
$34,000
Employment Services
780 workers
$34,000
Apparel Manufacturing
610 workers
$42,500
Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing
530 workers
$43,000
Textile Product Mills
400 workers
$36,000
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
380 workers
$39,000
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods
320 workers
$36,500
Food Manufacturing
310 workers
$45,500
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
How this role compares
Cutters and Trimmers, Hand pays 24% below the average across 112 roles in the Production job family (family average $56,000).
Need Cutters and Trimmers, Hand pay benchmarked for your organization, or defensible compensation analysis for a dispute or valuation? Grahall builds it from primary sources, backed by an expert who testifies.
