Food scientists and technologists salary
| Measure | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $52,920 | $25.44 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $88,720 | $42.65 |
| Mean (average) | $95,360 | $45.85 |
| 90th percentile | $145,280 | $69.85 |
These wages describe everyone employed in the occupation, from new entrants to experienced workers. They are not starting salaries and not earnings of graduates from any particular program. Verified data
Food scientists and technologists pay by state and metro area
Table: median wage and employment for all 39 states and territories
| State | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $97,480 | $58,510 | $122,790 | 60 | 0.31 |
| Arizona | $90,450 | $55,890 | $134,320 | ||
| Arkansas | $84,330 | $49,120 | $165,790 | 310 | 2.82 |
| California | $93,950 | $60,060 | $140,810 | 2,210 | 1.44 |
| Colorado | $99,580 | $66,280 | $161,640 | 320 | 1.31 |
| Florida | $101,160 | $48,090 | $139,480 | 170 | 0.2 |
| Georgia | $86,050 | $31,030 | $151,280 | 560 | 1.38 |
| Idaho | $77,440 | $41,600 | $117,340 | 140 | 1.98 |
| Illinois | $94,340 | $63,730 | $166,670 | 780 | 1.53 |
| Indiana | $69,350 | $44,180 | $108,410 | 300 | 1.12 |
| Iowa | $82,010 | $50,230 | $111,310 | 380 | 2.87 |
| Kansas | $85,130 | $51,670 | $146,820 | 380 | 3.19 |
| Kentucky | $98,710 | $47,480 | $137,650 | 170 | 1.04 |
| Maine | $89,480 | $56,300 | $122,480 | 30 | 0.58 |
| Maryland | $93,330 | $59,640 | $145,650 | 270 | 1.18 |
| Massachusetts | $103,580 | $68,990 | $183,260 | 420 | 1.38 |
| Michigan | $76,940 | $55,620 | $134,910 | 430 | 1.15 |
| Minnesota | $99,280 | $61,360 | $152,600 | 670 | 2.7 |
| Missouri | $105,930 | $57,400 | $154,540 | 390 | 1.59 |
| Montana | $52,230 | $40,070 | $76,250 | 30 | 0.72 |
| Nebraska | $72,230 | $50,710 | $129,740 | 230 | 2.64 |
| Nevada | $80,580 | $52,890 | $106,660 | 50 | 0.37 |
| New Jersey | $104,340 | $64,330 | $167,470 | 630 | 1.76 |
| New Mexico | $79,130 | $53,170 | $100,350 | 30 | 0.44 |
| New York | $94,070 | $58,740 | $137,570 | 660 | 0.81 |
| North Carolina | $79,840 | $49,850 | $138,460 | 230 | 0.56 |
| Ohio | $76,780 | $46,870 | $121,830 | 270 | 0.59 |
| Oklahoma | $84,750 | $63,030 | $127,780 | 50 | 0.32 |
| Oregon | $81,660 | $58,390 | $118,250 | 270 | 1.64 |
| Pennsylvania | $83,380 | $54,460 | $120,730 | 400 | 0.79 |
| Rhode Island | $87,970 | $65,580 | $100,590 | 40 | 1.03 |
| South Carolina | $108,660 | $41,140 | $163,900 | 90 | 0.46 |
| South Dakota | $71,330 | $41,990 | $147,530 | 90 | 2.3 |
| Tennessee | $81,760 | $64,660 | $105,670 | 70 | 0.25 |
| Texas | $90,610 | $46,810 | $136,100 | 840 | 0.71 |
| Utah | $73,280 | $53,200 | $126,410 | 120 | 0.81 |
| Virginia | $93,590 | $66,000 | $160,700 | 70 | 0.21 |
| Washington | $94,990 | $56,520 | $162,740 | 250 | 0.85 |
| Wisconsin | $83,020 | $57,410 | $131,840 | 410 | 1.67 |
A location quotient above 1 means the occupation is more concentrated in that state than in the nation overall.
Metro areas with the most jobs
Highest paying metro areas
Job outlook for food scientists and technologists
- Average annual openings, 2025 to 2035: 1,000. Openings include new jobs plus replacement needs when workers retire or leave the occupation. Official projection
- Share of workers who are self-employed (2025): 5.7%.
- Read the official BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile.
These are official BLS projections. ConnectPrep does not alter them or present its own forecasts as official statistics.
Education and training for food scientists and technologists
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- O*NET Job Zone
- Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Highest education of people working in this occupation
O*NET describes this preparation level as: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Degrees and programs that lead to this career
Programs officially mapped to this occupation in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. A mapping means the program commonly prepares students for the occupation, not that every graduate works in it. Official crosswalk
- Agriculture, General CIP 01.0000
- International Agriculture CIP 01.0701
- Food Science CIP 01.1001
- Food Technology and Processing CIP 01.1002
- Brewing Science CIP 01.1003
- Viticulture and Enology CIP 01.1004
- Zymology/Fermentation Science CIP 01.1005
- Food Science and Technology, Other CIP 01.1099
- Culinary Science/Culinology CIP 12.0509
Skills, knowledge, and daily work
Most important skills
Most important knowledge areas
Typical tasks
- Inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management.
- Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value.
- Study methods to improve aspects of foods, such as chemical composition, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience.
- Develop food standards and production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications.
- Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature.
- Study the structure and composition of food or the changes foods undergo in storage and processing.
- Confer with process engineers, plant operators, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development.
- Test new products for flavor, texture, color, nutritional content, and adherence to government and industry standards.
Technology skills
- Microsoft Excel (in demand)
- Microsoft Office software (in demand)
- Microsoft Outlook (in demand)
- Microsoft PowerPoint (in demand)
- HubSpot software (hot technology)
- Hypertext markup language HTML (hot technology)
- Marketo Marketing Automation (hot technology)
- Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- R (hot technology)
- SAP software (hot technology)
- Structured query language SQL (hot technology)
- Tableau (hot technology)
- BioDiscovery ImaGene
- Image analysis software
- Insightful S-PLUS
Transferable skills for career changers: Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Systems Analysis, Systems Evaluation, Quality Control Analysis, Social Perceptiveness.
Common job titles: Corporate Food Scientist, Food and Drug Research Scientist, Food Engineer, Food Safety Regulatory Manager, Food Scientist, Food Technologist, Formulator, Product Development Scientist, Research Chef, Research Scientist.
Is it worth it? Model the cost of getting there
Use the ROI calculator to compare the cost of the education this career usually requires against staying on your current path. It starts from the official wage distribution above, and you can change every assumption.
Frequently asked questions
How much do food scientists and technologists make?
The national median annual wage for food scientists and technologists was $88,720 in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $52,920 and the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $145,280. These figures cover all workers in the occupation, not only new entrants.
What education do food scientists and technologists need?
BLS lists bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation, with none of related work experience and none on-the-job training typically needed to become competent.
Is food scientists and technologists a growing career?
BLS projects employment of food scientists and technologists to change +6.2% from 2025 to 2035, compared with +3.5% for all occupations. About 1,000 openings are projected each year on average, including openings from workers who retire or change occupations.
Which states pay food scientists and technologists the most?
By median annual wage in May 2025, the highest paying states were South Carolina ($108,660), Missouri ($105,930), New Jersey ($104,340). Pay differences partly reflect differences in living costs.