Food Scientists and Technologists Salary
Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations · 13K employed in the U.S.
Median annual
$88,720
Median hourly
$43
Average annual
$95,360
Typical range
$52,920–$145,280
Pay distribution
10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.
What this role pays
The median annual salary for Food Scientists and Technologists is $88,720 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $43 an hour at a full-time schedule.
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..
Most earn between $52,920 and $145,280 a year. There are roughly 13K people employed as food scientists and technologists in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.
Salary calculator
Convert your pay and see where it lands for Food Scientists and Technologists.
- Hourly
- $42.65
- Daily
- $341
- Weekly
- $1,706
- Bi-weekly
- $3,412
- Monthly
- $7,393
- Annual
- $88,720
$88,720 a year is around the 50th percentile for Food Scientists and Technologistss. The median is $88,720.
Highest-paying states
Median annual wage by state.
- 1South Carolina$108,660
- 2Missouri$105,930
- 3New Jersey$104,340
- 4Massachusetts$103,580
- 5Florida$101,160
- 6Colorado$99,580
- 7Minnesota$99,280
- 8Kentucky$98,710
- 9Alabama$97,480
- 10Washington$94,990
- 11Illinois$94,340
- 12New York$94,070
Top-paying metro areas
Median annual wage by metro area.
- 1Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$113,350
- 2San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$110,810
- 3St. Louis, MO-IL$108,200
- 4Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$107,970
- 5Ann Arbor, MI$105,420
- 6Kansas City, MO-KS$105,350
- 7New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$104,200
- 8Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$103,580
- 9Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR$103,300
- 10Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$101,760
- 11Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$100,390
- 12Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$100,000
Related job titles
Employers advertise Food Scientists and Technologists roles under these titles.
- Dairy Bacteriologist
- Enologist
- Flavorist
- Food and Drug Research Scientist
- Food Engineer
- Food Preservation Scientist
- Food Processing Scientist
- Food Safety Auditor
- Food Safety Scientist
- Food Scientist
- Food Technologist
- Hybrid Technologist
- Product Development Scientist
- Quality Control Scientist (QC Scientist)
- Quality Food Expert
- Research Chef
Related occupations
What a Food Scientists and Technologists does
- 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.
- Develop new or improved ways of preserving, processing, packaging, storing, and delivering foods, using knowledge of chemistry, microbiology, and other sciences.
- Test new products for flavor, texture, color, nutritional content, and adherence to government and industry standards.
- Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature.
- Evaluate food processing and storage operations and assist in the development of quality assurance programs for such operations.
- Confer with process engineers, plant operators, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development.
- Study the structure and composition of food or the changes foods undergo in storage and processing.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Food Scientists and Technologists make?
- The median annual wage for Food Scientists and Technologists is $88,720 ($43 per hour). Pay ranges from about $52,920 at the 10th percentile to $145,280 at the 90th percentile.
- What is the average salary for a Food Scientists and Technologists?
- The average (mean) annual salary is $95,360, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
- Which state pays Food Scientists and Technologistss the most?
- South Carolina has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $108,660.
- Is Food Scientists and Technologists a growing occupation?
- BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 13K people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
- What does a Food Scientists and Technologists do?
- 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.; Develop new or improved ways of preserving, processing, packaging, storing, and delivering foods, using knowledge of chemistry, microbiology, and other sciences..