Butcher Salary in Canada | Breakdown by Province

In Canada, butchers median wage is $20/hr.

Butchers in Canada: job prospects, employment requirements, licensing.

Butchers in Canada, classified under NOC 63201 as butchers retail and wholesale, prepare standard and specialty cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in supermarkets, grocery stores, butcher shops and wholesale establishments while trimming, boning, grinding and packaging products. Approximately 14,400 people worked in this occupation in 2023. Job prospects are balanced nationally through 2033, with about 4,700 projected job openings roughly matching the expected 4,500 job seekers, driven mainly by replacement demand from retirements despite slower than average employment growth. Median hourly wages stand at about 20.00 Canadian dollars nationally, with typical ranges from 15.25 to 28.00 dollars per hour depending on experience, location, union status, and whether the role is retail or wholesale. Most positions require secondary school completion, several years of on-the-job training or a butchery program, and work conditions often involve full-time or part-time shifts in refrigerated or cool environments, with physically demanding tasks such as standing for long periods, using sharp tools and machinery, early morning starts, and adherence to strict food safety and sanitation standards.

Licensing

Butchers are not regulated in Canada. This means that you are not required to register with one of the provincial or territorial regulatory authorities to be authorized to practise occupations in the industry anywhere in Canada.

BUTCHER, RETAIL (NOC 63201)
2025	Wages/hr
Community/Area	Low	Median	High
Canada	15.25	20.00	28.00
Newfoundland and L	N/A	N/A	N/A
Prince Edward Island	N/A	N/A	N/A
Nova Scotia	16.75	19.72	26.39
New Brunswick	15.90	18.75	31.85
Quebec	16.60	20.00	26.00
Ontario	17.60	21.75	29.00
Manitoba	16.00	17.00	23.00
Saskatchewan	16.85	19.16	27.39
Alberta	17.00	22.00	27.00
British Columbia	19.10	24.23	32.49
Yukon Territory	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northwest Territories	N/A	N/A	N/A
Nunavut	N/A	N/A	N/A
Source: Job Bank. 2026

In 2019, butchers reported higher salaries in Manitoba.

BUTCHERS, MEAT CUTTERS AND FISHMONGERS – RETAIL AND WHOLESALE (NOC 6331)
2019	Wages ($/hour)
Province/Territory	Low	Median	High
Canada	11.06	13.4	22
Newfoundland and L	11.4	13.85	22
Nova Scotia	11.55	12.05	17
New Brunswick	11.5	13.5	20
Quebec	12.5	13.6	21.08
Ontario	14	14	20
Manitoba	11.35	13	24
Saskatchewan	11.06	18.99	23
Alberta	15	15.91	23.4
British Columbia	13.85	14	23.08
Prince Edward Island	N/A	N/A	N/A
Yukon Territory	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northwest Territories	N/A	N/A	N/A
Nunavut	N/A	N/A	N/A
Source: Job Bank. May 2019

BUTCHER SALARY IN CANADA (2019)