occupation · 19-1012 · detailed
Food Scientists and Technologists — wages and employment
Food Scientists and Technologists earned a median annual wage of $85,310 in the United States in May 2024, with 14,370 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Food Scientists and Technologists earned a median annual wage of $85,310 in the United States in May 2024, with 14,370 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $49,580 or less, the best-paid tenth $141,860 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $82,090 to $85,310, +3.9 %. The best-paying state is New Jersey at $102,630; the lowest Louisiana at $57,200. Among metropolitan areas, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA pays the highest median, $105,670. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 14,370 | $85,310 | $92,190 | $49,580 | $65,240 | $111,700 | $141,860 | $41.02 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 14,100 | $82,090 | $88,350 | $48,480 | $63,980 | $105,640 | $135,430 | $39.47 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $102,630 | 880 |
| District of Columbia | $102,500 | — |
| Missouri | $101,570 | 610 |
| Alabama | $99,170 | 50 |
| Massachusetts | $99,140 | — |
| Washington | $96,020 | 310 |
| New York | $95,710 | 880 |
| Minnesota | $94,360 | — |
| Florida | $92,760 | 150 |
| Texas | $92,740 | 780 |
| Arkansas | $92,530 | — |
| Michigan | $86,690 | 430 |
| Colorado | $86,370 | 310 |
| Kansas | $86,040 | 310 |
| California | $85,480 | 2,350 |
| Pennsylvania | $82,390 | 430 |
| Virginia | $82,120 | 80 |
| Indiana | $81,060 | 210 |
| Illinois | $80,030 | 720 |
| Tennessee | $79,770 | 70 |
| Mississippi | $79,520 | 70 |
| Maryland | $79,220 | 290 |
| New Hampshire | $79,090 | 50 |
| Oregon | $77,610 | 280 |
| Wisconsin | $76,090 | 510 |
| Kentucky | $72,300 | 170 |
| South Carolina | $71,230 | 40 |
| Utah | $69,170 | 130 |
| Georgia | $69,050 | 680 |
| South Dakota | $68,270 | 70 |
| Idaho | $67,860 | 110 |
| Nebraska | $67,310 | 210 |
| North Carolina | $64,200 | 180 |
| Iowa | $63,450 | 410 |
| Ohio | $62,470 | 310 |
| Louisiana | $57,200 | 40 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $105,670 | 360 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $103,810 | 50 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $102,630 | 1,120 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | $102,570 | 40 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $102,270 | 360 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $101,770 | 170 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | $101,740 | 190 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $101,070 | 390 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | $100,420 | 50 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $99,320 | 570 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $99,140 | — |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $98,770 | 390 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $97,950 | 250 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $97,630 | — |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | $97,500 | — |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $97,390 | — |
| Lancaster, PA | $95,110 | 30 |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | $95,090 | 40 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $94,920 | 110 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $94,900 | 50 |
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