Best states for a food safety scientist

Q: What is the best state for food safety scientists?

The best state to be a food safety scientist is New York based on food safety scientist salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for food safety scientists?

The highest paying state for food safety scientists is Colorado based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for food safety scientists?

The worst state for food safety scientists is West Virginia, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Sami Mejri Ph.D.

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We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for food safety scientists in the United States. Food safety scientist positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for food safety scientists.In fact, our research shows that New York is the best state for food safety scientists in America. The best city in America for food safety scientists with the highest pay is San Francisco, CA.

New York is the best state for jobs for food safety scientists, and West Virginia is the worst. The most common pay in New York is $92,693, while the median pay in West Virginia is $48,874.We found that New York is the best state for food safety scientist jobs, whereas West Virginia is the worst.

10 best states for food safety scientists in 2026

1. New York
Total food safety scientist jobs: 2,174
Average annual salary: $92,693
Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000
Location Quotient:
1.16
Food safety scientist jobs in New York
2. New Jersey
Total food safety scientist jobs: 1,486
Average annual salary: $83,894
Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000
Location Quotient:
1.28
Food safety scientist jobs in New Jersey
3. California
Total food safety scientist jobs: 4,141
Average annual salary: $106,220
Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $182,000
Location Quotient:
0.97
Food safety scientist jobs in California
4. Massachusetts
Total food safety scientist jobs: 1,795
Average annual salary: $79,350
Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000
Location Quotient:
1.34
Food safety scientist jobs in Massachusetts
5. Maryland
Total food safety scientist jobs: 1,129
Average annual salary: $82,454
Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000
Location Quotient:
1.22
Food safety scientist jobs in Maryland
6. South Carolina
Total food safety scientist jobs: 652
Average annual salary: $80,993
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000
Location Quotient:
1
Food safety scientist jobs in South Carolina
7. Connecticut
Total food safety scientist jobs: 583
Average annual salary: $79,250
Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000
Location Quotient:
1.21
Food safety scientist jobs in Connecticut
8. New Hampshire
Total food safety scientist jobs: 256
Average annual salary: $78,269
Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000
Location Quotient:
1
Food safety scientist jobs in New Hampshire
9. Delaware
Total food safety scientist jobs: 230
Average annual salary: $75,744
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000
Location Quotient:
1.26
Food safety scientist jobs in Delaware
10. Montana
Total food safety scientist jobs: 181
Average annual salary: $76,502
Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000
Location Quotient:
1.08
Food safety scientist jobs in Montana

Food safety scientist jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a food safety scientist

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a food safety scientist

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	New York	$92,693	$57,000	19,849,399	2,174
2	New Jersey	$83,894	$51,000	9,005,644	1,486
3	California	$106,220	$61,000	39,536,653	4,141
4	Massachusetts	$79,350	$49,000	6,859,819	1,795
5	Maryland	$82,454	$50,000	6,052,177	1,129
6	South Carolina	$80,993	$48,000	5,024,369	652
7	Connecticut	$79,250	$49,000	3,588,184	583
8	New Hampshire	$78,269	$49,000	1,342,795	256
9	Delaware	$75,744	$46,000	961,939	230
10	Montana	$76,502	$45,000	1,050,493	181
11	Ohio	$87,646	$53,000	11,658,609	1,138
12	Nevada	$84,147	$47,000	2,998,039	272
13	Rhode Island	$80,390	$50,000	1,059,639	161
14	Pennsylvania	$70,798	$43,000	12,805,537	1,867
15	Maine	$72,605	$46,000	1,335,907	193
16	Illinois	$74,000	$45,000	12,802,023	1,750
17	Tennessee	$72,581	$43,000	6,715,984	776
18	New Mexico	$69,240	$39,000	2,088,070	318
19	Michigan	$73,121	$45,000	9,962,311	1,024
20	Utah	$73,867	$41,000	3,101,833	410
21	Georgia	$72,654	$43,000	10,429,379	1,378
22	Oklahoma	$72,739	$43,000	3,930,864	300
23	Idaho	$69,398	$38,000	1,716,943	234
24	Wisconsin	$65,744	$41,000	5,795,483	839
25	Iowa	$65,202	$40,000	3,145,711	555
26	Hawaii	$68,303	$51,000	1,427,538	137
27	Washington	$68,940	$38,000	7,405,743	1,048
28	Oregon	$67,038	$36,000	4,142,776	629
29	Kansas	$68,332	$41,000	2,913,123	401
30	Wyoming	$60,975	$36,000	579,315	104
31	Mississippi	$62,202	$36,000	2,984,100	307
32	Vermont	$60,786	$38,000	623,657	121
33	South Dakota	$55,875	$35,000	869,666	199
34	District of Columbia	$74,074	$45,000	693,972	180
35	Minnesota	$67,180	$42,000	5,576,606	777
36	Nebraska	$67,482	$41,000	1,920,076	229
37	Virginia	$58,287	$35,000	8,470,020	1,713
38	Texas	$63,860	$37,000	28,304,596	2,536
39	Alabama	$60,917	$36,000	4,874,747	570
40	Arizona	$59,935	$34,000	7,016,270	839
41	Alaska	$53,094	$31,000	739,795	179
42	North Carolina	$55,003	$33,000	10,273,419	1,519
43	Missouri	$58,413	$35,000	6,113,532	803
44	Louisiana	$60,865	$35,000	4,684,333	348
45	Kentucky	$55,502	$33,000	4,454,189	516
46	Florida	$49,604	$29,000	20,984,400	2,286
47	Arkansas	$55,638	$33,000	3,004,279	296
48	North Dakota	$49,658	$32,000	755,393	133
49	Indiana	$51,711	$31,000	6,666,818	866
50	Colorado	$44,376	$26,000	5,607,154	837
51	West Virginia	$48,874	$29,000	1,815,857	195

Highest paying states for food safety scientists

Rank	State	Avg. Food Safety Scientist Salary
1	New York	$92,693
2	New Jersey	$83,894
3	California	$106,220
4	Massachusetts	$79,350
5	Maryland	$82,454
6	South Carolina	$80,993
7	Connecticut	$79,250
8	New Hampshire	$78,269
9	Delaware	$75,744
10	Montana	$76,502
11	Ohio	$87,646
12	Nevada	$84,147
13	Rhode Island	$80,390
14	Pennsylvania	$70,798
15	Maine	$72,605
16	Illinois	$74,000
17	Tennessee	$72,581
18	New Mexico	$69,240
19	Michigan	$73,121
20	Utah	$73,867
21	Georgia	$72,654
22	Oklahoma	$72,739
23	Idaho	$69,398
24	Wisconsin	$65,744
25	Iowa	$65,202
26	Hawaii	$68,303
27	Washington	$68,940
28	Oregon	$67,038
29	Kansas	$68,332
30	Wyoming	$60,975
31	Mississippi	$62,202
32	Vermont	$60,786
33	South Dakota	$55,875
34	District of Columbia	$74,074
35	Minnesota	$67,180
36	Nebraska	$67,482
37	Virginia	$58,287
38	Texas	$63,860
39	Alabama	$60,917
40	Arizona	$59,935
41	Alaska	$53,094
42	North Carolina	$55,003
43	Missouri	$58,413
44	Louisiana	$60,865
45	Kentucky	$55,502
46	Florida	$49,604
47	Arkansas	$55,638
48	North Dakota	$49,658
49	Indiana	$51,711
50	Colorado	$44,376
51	West Virginia	$48,874

Expert opinions on the best states for food safety scientists

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for food safety scientists to find work opportunities?
Sami Mejri Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Science, Assistant Dean, Graduate Programs, Tiffin University
With the rising cost of living, a college graduate's ideal first job may not be in their home state or favorite vacation town. According to Business Insider, MidWestern cities like Columbus-Ohio, Cincinnati-Ohio, Madison-Wisconsin, Milwaukee-Wisconsin, and Indianapolis-Indiana were some of the best geographical areas to live for college graduates. The cost of living in these Midwestern states remains relatively lower than coastal areas, making these locations ideal for college graduates entering the workforce. However, college graduates with degrees in healthcare, computer science, and data analytics may not be limited to these geographical areas, given employers' incentives to these in-demand jobs.

Food safety scientist best states FAQs

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Best states for Food Safety Scientists

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total food safety scientist jobs:	2,174
Average annual salary:	$92,693
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$57,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$149,000
Location Quotient:	1.16

Best states for a food safety scientist

10 best states for food safety scientists in 2026

1. New York

2. New Jersey

3. California

4. Massachusetts

5. Maryland

6. South Carolina

7. Connecticut

8. New Hampshire

9. Delaware

10. Montana