Food Science Technicians pay in the U.S.
$56,660avg. a year
$27.24 an hour · 14,600 employed
Food Science Technicians in the U.S. earn an average of $56,660 a year and a median of $52,130. Pay is highest in Illinois ($68,480) and lowest in Alabama ($43,710).
$52,130Median pay
$27.24Average hourly
+18%Avg. pay since 2021
14,600Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for food science technicians
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1290 jobs
Illinois
$68,480
$32.92 an hour
2160 jobs
Kentucky
$66,530
$31.99 an hour
3150 jobs
Virginia
$65,500
$31.49 an hour
4660 jobs
Washington
$65,120
$31.31 an hour
5270 jobs
Colorado
$63,140
$30.36 an hour
6250 jobs
Florida
$62,250
$29.93 an hour
7230 jobs
Ohio
$62,220
$29.91 an hour
8150 jobs
Missouri
$62,180
$29.89 an hour
9280 jobs
Maryland
$60,600
$29.14 an hour
10110 jobs
Nevada
$58,820
$28.28 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Food Science Technicians pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $51k$51k–$55k$55k–$59k$59k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $72,940 | $35.07 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $71,440 | $34.35 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $67,050 | $32.24 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $66,920 | $32.17 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $63,510 | $30.54 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $63,340 | $30.45 |
| Napa, CA | $63,120 | $30.35 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $61,370 | $29.50 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Food Science Technicians pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $43,710 | $40,940 | 30 |
| Arkansas | $52,070 | $46,810 | 140 |
| California | $56,850 | $54,200 | 3,990 |
| Colorado | $63,140 | $58,540 | 270 |
| Connecticut | $52,200 | $49,700 | – |
| Florida | $62,250 | $58,500 | 250 |
| Georgia | $57,520 | $53,150 | 260 |
| Idaho | $50,640 | $48,980 | 560 |
| Illinois | $68,480 | $60,820 | 290 |
| Indiana | $51,600 | $44,630 | 530 |
| Iowa | $52,870 | $50,740 | 420 |
| Kansas | $47,360 | $39,930 | 60 |
| Kentucky | $66,530 | $64,770 | 160 |
| Louisiana | $44,450 | $44,310 | 30 |
| Maryland | $60,600 | $57,880 | 280 |
| Massachusetts | $56,530 | $56,850 | 260 |
| Michigan | $54,970 | $52,130 | 250 |
| Minnesota | $56,950 | $57,940 | 380 |
| Mississippi | $54,180 | $51,460 | 50 |
| Missouri | $62,180 | $59,570 | 150 |
| Nebraska | $51,780 | $48,530 | 170 |
| Nevada | $58,820 | $59,070 | 110 |
| New Jersey | $57,030 | $56,730 | 590 |
| New Mexico | $44,720 | $46,500 | 120 |
| New York | $58,580 | $55,470 | 580 |
| North Carolina | $51,740 | $48,640 | 130 |
| Ohio | $62,220 | $57,060 | 230 |
| Oklahoma | $45,750 | $47,240 | 50 |
| Oregon | $51,980 | $50,590 | 820 |
| Pennsylvania | $49,820 | $48,060 | 590 |
| South Carolina | $44,950 | $39,480 | 40 |
| South Dakota | $46,220 | $48,760 | 100 |
| Texas | $51,400 | $47,760 | 900 |
| Utah | $51,700 | $45,110 | 80 |
| Vermont | $57,200 | $60,980 | 50 |
| Virginia | $65,500 | $65,360 | 150 |
| Washington | $65,120 | $62,070 | 660 |
| Wisconsin | $55,970 | $55,690 | 540 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$56,900
970 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$60,990
580 jobsSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
$72,940
420 jobsRiverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
$54,930
390 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$51,300
350 jobsSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
$63,340
310 jobsIndianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN
$47,130
300 jobsPortland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
$54,110
280 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do food science technicians make?
The average is $56,660 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $52,130 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $27.24, and the median is $25.06 an hour.
Which state pays food science technicians the most?
Illinois, with an average of $68,480 a year. The best-paying metro area is Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA at $72,940.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $39,820 a year, and the top 10% earn over $78,820.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2021–May 2025), occupation code 19-4013. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.