Careers / Food Scientists and Technologists
Food Scientists and Technologists — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
Opens your browser print dialog — choose “Save as PDF”.
Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$88,720
United States, 2025
Employment
13,060
United States, 2025
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Job Zone 4
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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.
- O*NET code
- 19-1012.00
- Job zone
- 4
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value.
- Inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management.
- 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.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$52,920
25th percentile
$68,810
75th percentile
$116,650
90th percentile
$145,280
Most important skills
- Active Learning4.0
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Science3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Complex Problem Solving3.9
- Active Listening3.9
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9
- Writing3.9
- Monitoring3.6
- Systems Evaluation3.6
- Systems Analysis3.6
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 22 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
22
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | 4.6 | Not selected | 4.6 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | 4.5 | Not selected | 4.5 |
| Active Learning | 4.0 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Active Listening | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Writing | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Speaking | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Science | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Monitoring | 3.6 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.6 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.6 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.4 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Mathematics | 3.1 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Time Management | 3.1 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Persuasion | 3.1 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.3 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.0 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Instructing | 3.0 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Coordination | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Negotiation | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $35,730
Compare with Food Scientists and TechnologistsSupplemental
National median $82,220
Compare with Food Scientists and TechnologistsSupplemental
National median $66,120
Compare with Food Scientists and TechnologistsSupplemental
National median $115,160
Compare with Food Scientists and TechnologistsSupplemental
National median $126,060
Compare with Food Scientists and TechnologistsSupplemental
National median $102,440
Compare with Food Scientists and TechnologistsSupplemental
National median $62,470
Compare with Food Scientists and TechnologistsSupplemental
National median $60,390
Compare with Food Scientists and TechnologistsSupplemental
National median $49,940
Compare with Food Scientists and TechnologistsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, DC | $113,350 | 130 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $110,810 | 50 | 2025 |
| SC | $108,660 | 90 | 2025 |
| St. Louis, MO | $108,200 | 270 | 2025 |
| Atlanta, GA | $107,970 | 320 | 2025 |
| MO | $105,930 | 390 | 2025 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | $105,420 | 40 | 2025 |
| Kansas City, MO | $105,350 | 180 | 2025 |
| NJ | $104,340 | 630 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $104,200 | 730 | 2025 |
| MA | $103,580 | 420 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $103,580 | 370 | 2025 |
| Fayetteville, AR | $103,300 | 190 | 2025 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $101,760 | 440 | 2025 |
| FL | $101,160 | 170 | 2025 |
| Chicago, IL | $100,390 | 610 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $100,000 | 120 | 2025 |
| Denver, CO | $99,900 | 220 | 2025 |
| CO | $99,580 | 320 | 2025 |
| Buffalo, NY | $99,530 | 110 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Food Scientists and Technologists to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.