Food Scientists and Technologists Career, Salary and Skills
Food Scientists and Technologists have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $88,720 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 13,060. Wage data is published for 103 locations.
Occupation description
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
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Experience
None
National salary and employment
Median annual
$88,720
Hourly median
$42.65
Employment
13,060
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | 4.00 | 4.50 |
| Active Learning | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.62 |
| Writing | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Science | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Active Listening | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Speaking | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Monitoring | 3.62 | 3.88 |
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.
Technology
- BioDiscovery ImaGene
- HubSpot software
- Hypertext markup language HTML
- Image analysis software
- Insightful S-PLUS
- Marketo Marketing Automation
- MDS Analytical Technologies GenePix Pro
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- Oracle Eloqua
Food Scientists and Technologists salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in CAMedian $93,950 · Employment 2,210
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in TXMedian $90,610 · Employment 840
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in ILMedian $94,340 · Employment 780
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in New York, NYMedian $104,200 · Employment 730
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in MNMedian $99,280 · Employment 670
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in NYMedian $94,070 · Employment 660
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in NJMedian $104,340 · Employment 630
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in Chicago, ILMedian $100,390 · Employment 610
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in GAMedian $86,050 · Employment 560
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $91,060 · Employment 550
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in Minneapolis, MNMedian $101,760 · Employment 440
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in MIMedian $76,940 · Employment 430
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- Graders and Sorters, Agricultural ProductsNational median $35,730
- Industrial EcologistsNational median $82,220
- Industrial Engineering Technologists and TechniciansNational median $66,120
- Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and InspectorsNational median $115,160
- Biofuels Production ManagersNational median $126,060
- Industrial EngineersNational median $102,440
- Biofuels Processing TechniciansNational median $62,470
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.