Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for food scientists and technologists in the U.S. is $88,720 ($42.65 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $88,720
- Mean annual wage
- $95,360
- Median hourly wage
- $42.65
- Employment
- 13,060
13,060 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $52,920 | $25.44 |
| 25th percentile | $68,810 | $33.08 |
| Median (50th) | $88,720 | $42.65 |
| 75th percentile | $116,650 | $56.08 |
| 90th percentile | $145,280 | $69.85 |
Highest-paying states for food scientists and technologists
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | $108,660 | 90 |
| Missouri | $105,930 | 390 |
| New Jersey | $104,340 | 630 |
| Massachusetts | $103,580 | 420 |
| Florida | $101,160 | 170 |
| Colorado | $99,580 | 320 |
| Minnesota | $99,280 | 670 |
| Kentucky | $98,710 | 170 |
| Alabama | $97,480 | 60 |
| Washington | $94,990 | 250 |
Lowest-paying states
- Montana: $52,230 median annual wage
- Indiana: $69,350 median annual wage
- South Dakota: $71,330 median annual wage
- Nebraska: $72,230 median annual wage
- Utah: $73,280 median annual wage
About this occupation
Use chemistry, microbiology, engineering, and other sciences to study the principles underlying the processing and deterioration of foods; analyze food content to determine levels of vitamins, fat, sugar, and protein; discover new food sources; research ways to make processed foods safe, palatable, and healthful; and apply food science knowledge to determine best ways to process, package, preserve, store, and distribute food.
Typical tasks
- Develop new food items for production, based on consumer feedback.
- Demonstrate products to clients.
- Develop new or improved ways of preserving, processing, packaging, storing, and delivering foods, using knowledge of chemistry, microbiology, and other sciences.
- Evaluate food processing and storage operations and assist in the development of quality assurance programs for such operations.
- Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature.
- Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: Bachelor's degree
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | 57.7% |
| Master's degree | 27.0% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 15.4% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Related occupations
- Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists$103,410
- Occupational Health and Safety Specialists$90,150
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health$82,220
- Chemists$91,240
- Clinical and Counseling Psychologists$100,580
- Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other$62,280
- Biological Technicians$57,510
- School Psychologists$95,990
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.