Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in CA
In the 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS dataset, Food Scientists and Technologists in CA have a median annual salary of $93,950, with 2,210 recorded jobs in this area. Recorded earnings range from $60,060 at the 10th percentile to $140,810 at the 90th percentile.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · Data year: 2025 · Last updated: 2026-09-22
Salary overview
Median annual salary
$93,950
Data year: 2025
Hourly median
$45.17
Employment
2,210
Source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS
Salary distribution
Local compared with national
CA
$93,950
Median annual · 2025
United States
$88,720
Median annual · 2025
The CA median is 5.9% above the national median in the available dataset (a difference of $5,230).
Top skills
- 1.Reading ComprehensionImportance 4.0
- 2.Critical ThinkingImportance 4.0
- 3.Active LearningImportance 4.0
- 4.Active ListeningImportance 3.9
- 5.WritingImportance 3.9
- 6.SpeakingImportance 3.9
- 7.ScienceImportance 3.9
- 8.Complex Problem SolvingImportance 3.9
- 9.Judgment and Decision MakingImportance 3.9
- 10.MonitoringImportance 3.6
- 11.Systems AnalysisImportance 3.6
- 12.Systems EvaluationImportance 3.6
Career information
Education and experience
- Typical education
- Bachelor's Degree
- Experience
- None
- Job zone
- 4
Technology used
- 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
- PathogenTracker
Common 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.
- Develop new food items for production, based on consumer feedback.
- Develop new or improved ways of preserving, processing, packaging, storing, and delivering foods, using knowledge of chemistry, microbiology, and other sciences.
Related careers
Occupations recorded as related in the dataset. A relationship does not imply a guaranteed transition.
- Cooks, Restaurant
- Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products
- Industrial Ecologists
- Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors
- Biofuels Production Managers
- Industrial Engineers
- Biofuels Processing Technicians
- Chemical Technicians
- Agricultural Inspectors
Food Scientists and Technologists salary in other locations
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in Washington, DCMedian $113,350
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in San Jose, CAMedian $110,810
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in SCMedian $108,660
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in St. Louis, MOMedian $108,200
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in Atlanta, GAMedian $107,970
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in MOMedian $105,930
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in Ann Arbor, MIMedian $105,420
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in Kansas City, MOMedian $105,350
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in NJMedian $104,340
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in New York, NYMedian $104,200
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in MAMedian $103,580
- Food Scientists and Technologists Salary in Boston, MAMedian $103,580
Other occupations in CA
- Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric Salary in CAMedian $400,150
- Neurologists Salary in CAMedian $357,080
- Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers Salary in CAMedian $353,900
- Psychiatrists Salary in CAMedian $353,500
- General Internal Medicine Physicians Salary in CAMedian $313,890
- Obstetricians and Gynecologists Salary in CAMedian $301,240
- Nurse Anesthetists Salary in CAMedian $292,410
- Allergists and Immunologists Salary in CAMedian $281,590
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians Salary in CAMedian $281,590
- Preventive Medicine Physicians Salary in CAMedian $281,590
- Hospitalists Salary in CAMedian $281,590
- Sports Medicine Physicians Salary in CAMedian $281,590