The median pay for Food Scientists and Technologists is $88,720 a year ($42.65/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 6.2% through 2035, with about 1,000 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 19-1012
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Food Scientist and Technologist in four numbers
- Median pay
- $88,720a year, or $42.65/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $53KTop 10% $145K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +6.2%Faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+6.2%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +6.2% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 1,00014,100 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202514.1K
- Projected 203514.9K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 14.1K Projected 2035 14.9K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Certificate9.1%
- Associate's4.6%
- Bachelor's81.8%
- Master's4.6%
Highest education held by food scientists and technologists Segment Value Certificate 9.1% Associate's 4.6% Bachelor's 81.8% Master's 4.6%
Also advertised as: Corporate Food Scientist, Food and Drug Research Scientist, Food Engineer, Food Safety Regulatory Manager, Food Scientist, Food Technologist.
Pay
How much do Food Scientists and Technologists make?
Every food scientist and technologist in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$88,720
Middle half earn $68,810 to $116,650
- 10th
- $52,920
- 25th
- $68,810
- 75th
- $116,650
- 90th
- $145,280
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $52,920 |
| 25th | $68,810 |
| Median | $88,720 |
| 75th | $116,650 |
| 90th | $145,280 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $88,720
- Median hourly wage
- $42.65/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $95,360
- People employed
- 13,060
Versus all US occupations
At $88,720, Food Scientists and Technologists earn 74% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $37,740 a year.
Versus life, physical, and social science occupations
Inside the Life, Physical, and Social Science group, where the middle occupation pays $82,220, this is 8% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $145,280 or more while the bottom 10% earn $52,920, a gap of 2.7×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 65% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
South Carolina posts the highest raw median ($108,660), but once local prices are taken into account Missouri leads at $116,641 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Food Scientists and Technologists the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1South Carolina | $108,660 | $115,905 | 90 |
| 2Missouri | $105,930 | $116,641 | 390 |
| 3New Jersey | $104,340 | $95,896 | 630 |
| 4Massachusetts | $103,580 | $97,942 | 420 |
| 5Florida | $101,160 | $97,820 | 170 |
| 6Colorado | $99,580 | $96,631 | 320 |
| 7Minnesota | $99,280 | $100,668 | 670 |
| 8Kentucky | $98,710 | $109,484 | 170 |
| 9Alabama | $97,480 | $109,746 | 60 |
| 10Washington | $94,990 | $88,765 | 250 |
Job outlook
Is Food Scientist and Technologist a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Faster than average. +6.2% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Food Scientists and Technologists | +6.2% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Food Scientists and Technologists to change 6.2% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 900 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 1,000 openings are projected each year, 7.1% of the 14,100 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of agricultural and food scientists is projected to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Getting in
How to become a Food Scientist and Technologist
Agricultural and food scientists typically need at least a bachelor’s degree in animal science, food science, plant biology, or a related field. Employers may prefer or require a master’s or doctoral degree.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as food scientists and technologists.
- Bachelor's Degree81.8%
- Post-Secondary Certificate9.1%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree4.6%
- Master's Degree4.6%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 81.8% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 9.1% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 4.6% |
| Master's Degree | 4.6% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Food Scientist and Technologist do?
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.
Agricultural and food scientists research ways to improve the efficiency, quality, and safety of agricultural and food production establishments.
Day-to-day 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.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Most agricultural and food scientists work full time.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Schedules: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition. Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Active Learning4.0
- Active Listening3.9
- Writing3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Science3.9
- Monitoring3.6
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 |
| Active Learning | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 3.9 |
| Writing | 3.9 |
| Speaking | 3.9 |
| Science | 3.9 |
| Monitoring | 3.6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Complex Problem Solving3.9
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9
- Systems Analysis3.6
- Systems Evaluation3.6
- Quality Control Analysis3.4
- Social Perceptiveness3.3
- Coordination3.1
- Persuasion3.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.6 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.6 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.4 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.3 |
| Coordination | 3.1 |
| Persuasion | 3.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Business intelligence and data analysis software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Sales and marketing software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web platform development software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Analytical or scientific software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Food Scientist and Technologist?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Food Scientist and Technologist |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 6 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 2 |
| Enterprising | 3 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data, combined with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
- Investigative5.7
- Realistic5.0
- Conventional4.0
- Enterprising2.6
- Artistic2.5
- Social2.2
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Food Scientist and Technologist
O*NET related occupations
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
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- Life, Physical, and Social Science
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- Management
Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Manager
$171,270median a year
Most earn $121K to $263K
+5.5%Bachelor's
More life, physical, and social science careers
Median annual pay, with food scientists and technologists highlighted
- Industrial-Organizational Psychologist$193,950
- Physicist$172,250
- Medical Scientist, Except Epidemiologists$103,410
- Chemist$91,240
- Food Scientist and Technologist$88,720
- Environmental Scientist and Specialist, Including Health$82,220
- Conservation Scientist$73,010
- Chemical Technician$60,390
- Biological Technician$57,510
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologist | $193,950 |
| Physicist | $172,250 |
| Medical Scientist, Except Epidemiologists | $103,410 |
| Chemist | $91,240 |
| Food Scientist and Technologist | $88,720 |
| Environmental Scientist and Specialist, Including Health | $82,220 |
| Conservation Scientist | $73,010 |
| Chemical Technician | $60,390 |
| Biological Technician | $57,510 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Specialty careers within food scientist and technologist
Distinct careers BLS counts inside this occupation, each with its own profile.
Lists Food Scientist and Technologist appears on
Questions
Food Scientist and Technologist: frequently asked questions
How much do Food Scientists and Technologists make?
Food Scientists and Technologists earn a median of $88,720 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 74% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $42.65/hr. The middle half earn between $68,810 and $116,650. The top 10% earn $145,280 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Food Scientist and Technologist?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Food Scientists and Technologists, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 81.8% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Food Scientist and Technologist a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 6.2% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 1,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Food Scientist and Technologist do?
Agricultural and food scientists research ways to improve the efficiency, quality, and safety of agricultural and food production establishments. A core O*NET task: inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management. Employers most often ask for Business intelligence and data analysis software, Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software.
Which states pay Food Scientists and Technologists the most?
The highest state medians for Food Scientists and Technologists are South Carolina ($108,660), Missouri ($105,930), New Jersey ($104,340) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Missouri moves to the top at $116,641.
What personality type suits a Food Scientist and Technologist?
O*NET scores Food Scientists and Technologists highest on the Investigative, Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, INTJ, ISTP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.