Best states for a food scientist

Q: What is the best state for food scientists?

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

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

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

Q: What is the worst state for food scientists?

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

Quoted expert

Darrell Cockburn Ph.D.

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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for food scientists? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for food scientist jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for food scientist jobs.

Montana is the best state for jobs for food scientists, and Florida is the worst. The most common pay in Montana is $78,591, while the median pay in Florida is $48,785.Montana is the best state, and Youngstown is the city with the highest pay for food scientists.

10 best states for food scientists in 2025

1. Montana
Total food scientist jobs: 191
Average annual salary: $78,591
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000
Location Quotient:
1.24
Food scientist jobs in Montana
2. Kansas
Total food scientist jobs: 415
Average annual salary: $81,792
Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000
Location Quotient:
1.03
Food scientist jobs in Kansas
3. New York
Total food scientist jobs: 2,029
Average annual salary: $80,611
Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000
Location Quotient:
1.18
Food scientist jobs in New York
4. Michigan
Total food scientist jobs: 1,035
Average annual salary: $77,793
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000
Location Quotient:
1
Food scientist jobs in Michigan
5. South Carolina
Total food scientist jobs: 570
Average annual salary: $79,649
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000
Location Quotient:
0.95
Food scientist jobs in South Carolina
6. Ohio
Total food scientist jobs: 1,160
Average annual salary: $85,900
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000
Location Quotient:
0.85
Food scientist jobs in Ohio
7. Massachusetts
Total food scientist jobs: 1,677
Average annual salary: $74,514
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000
Location Quotient:
1.37
Food scientist jobs in Massachusetts
8. Delaware
Total food scientist jobs: 228
Average annual salary: $73,144
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000
Location Quotient:
1.36
Food scientist jobs in Delaware
9. Illinois
Total food scientist jobs: 1,696
Average annual salary: $74,943
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000
Location Quotient:
1.07
Food scientist jobs in Illinois
10. Connecticut
Total food scientist jobs: 518
Average annual salary: $75,298
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000
Location Quotient:
1.17
Food scientist jobs in Connecticut

Food scientist jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a food scientist

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

Detailed list of the best states for a food scientist

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Montana	$78,591	$47,000	1,050,493	191
2	Kansas	$81,792	$49,000	2,913,123	415
3	New York	$80,611	$49,000	19,849,399	2,029
4	Michigan	$77,793	$48,000	9,962,311	1,035
5	South Carolina	$79,649	$47,000	5,024,369	570
6	Ohio	$85,900	$52,000	11,658,609	1,160
7	Massachusetts	$74,514	$46,000	6,859,819	1,677
8	Delaware	$73,144	$44,000	961,939	228
9	Illinois	$74,943	$46,000	12,802,023	1,696
10	Connecticut	$75,298	$46,000	3,588,184	518
11	New Hampshire	$73,955	$46,000	1,342,795	255
12	Rhode Island	$75,459	$46,000	1,059,639	154
13	Nevada	$76,085	$43,000	2,998,039	262
14	Maryland	$72,996	$44,000	6,052,177	1,224
15	New Jersey	$72,370	$44,000	9,005,644	1,585
16	Maine	$69,361	$43,000	1,335,907	210
17	California	$82,807	$47,000	39,536,653	3,244
18	Pennsylvania	$68,250	$41,000	12,805,537	1,765
19	Tennessee	$71,165	$43,000	6,715,984	646
20	Oklahoma	$71,935	$43,000	3,930,864	272
21	Wisconsin	$65,581	$40,000	5,795,483	867
22	New Mexico	$65,040	$38,000	2,088,070	319
23	Georgia	$71,432	$42,000	10,429,379	1,096
24	Utah	$68,705	$40,000	3,101,833	392
25	Wyoming	$61,678	$37,000	579,315	101
26	Iowa	$64,772	$40,000	3,145,711	472
27	Minnesota	$66,071	$41,000	5,576,606	870
28	Nebraska	$67,563	$41,000	1,920,076	245
29	Idaho	$66,760	$38,000	1,716,943	202
30	Hawaii	$67,854	$50,000	1,427,538	121
31	Alaska	$60,174	$35,000	739,795	158
32	Mississippi	$60,747	$36,000	2,984,100	295
33	South Dakota	$56,924	$35,000	869,666	196
34	Missouri	$61,992	$37,000	6,113,532	801
35	Washington	$67,267	$38,000	7,405,743	888
36	Oregon	$62,857	$35,000	4,142,776	562
37	Vermont	$58,759	$36,000	623,657	121
38	District of Columbia	$71,804	$43,000	693,972	96
39	Virginia	$56,805	$34,000	8,470,020	1,495
40	Texas	$61,185	$36,000	28,304,596	2,191
41	North Carolina	$53,763	$32,000	10,273,419	1,539
42	Alabama	$59,734	$35,000	4,874,747	430
43	Louisiana	$58,937	$35,000	4,684,333	356
44	North Dakota	$50,731	$33,000	755,393	143
45	Arizona	$55,711	$32,000	7,016,270	727
46	Kentucky	$54,236	$33,000	4,454,189	436
47	Indiana	$50,764	$31,000	6,666,818	860
48	Arkansas	$55,065	$33,000	3,004,279	269
49	Colorado	$51,661	$31,000	5,607,154	739
50	West Virginia	$47,711	$29,000	1,815,857	184
51	Florida	$48,785	$29,000	20,984,400	1,828

Highest paying states for food scientists

Rank	State	Avg. Food Scientist Salary
1	Montana	$78,591
2	Kansas	$81,792
3	New York	$80,611
4	Michigan	$77,793
5	South Carolina	$79,649
6	Ohio	$85,900
7	Massachusetts	$74,514
8	Delaware	$73,144
9	Illinois	$74,943
10	Connecticut	$75,298
11	New Hampshire	$73,955
12	Rhode Island	$75,459
13	Nevada	$76,085
14	Maryland	$72,996
15	New Jersey	$72,370
16	Maine	$69,361
17	California	$82,807
18	Pennsylvania	$68,250
19	Tennessee	$71,165
20	Oklahoma	$71,935
21	Wisconsin	$65,581
22	New Mexico	$65,040
23	Georgia	$71,432
24	Utah	$68,705
25	Wyoming	$61,678
26	Iowa	$64,772
27	Minnesota	$66,071
28	Nebraska	$67,563
29	Idaho	$66,760
30	Hawaii	$67,854
31	Alaska	$60,174
32	Mississippi	$60,747
33	South Dakota	$56,924
34	Missouri	$61,992
35	Washington	$67,267
36	Oregon	$62,857
37	Vermont	$58,759
38	District of Columbia	$71,804
39	Virginia	$56,805
40	Texas	$61,185
41	North Carolina	$53,763
42	Alabama	$59,734
43	Louisiana	$58,937
44	North Dakota	$50,731
45	Arizona	$55,711
46	Kentucky	$54,236
47	Indiana	$50,764
48	Arkansas	$55,065
49	Colorado	$51,661
50	West Virginia	$47,711
51	Florida	$48,785

Expert opinions on the best states for food scientists

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for food scientists to find work opportunities?
Darrell Cockburn Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Food Science, Pennsylvania State University
Food Science is a remarkably stable field for graduates to find employment in as it is a relatively recession-proof industry; even at the worst of times, people still need to eat. Places with vital food industries, particularly with large companies, will be the best to weather the storm. Here in Pennsylvania, we have a robust food processing industry, and our Food Science graduates have continued to be successful in finding employment.

Food scientist best states FAQs

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What is the worst state for food scientists?

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Best states for Food Scientists

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total food scientist jobs:	191
Average annual salary:	$78,591
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$47,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$129,000
Location Quotient:	1.24

Best states for a food scientist

10 best states for food scientists in 2025

1. Montana

2. Kansas

3. New York

4. Michigan

5. South Carolina

6. Ohio

7. Massachusetts

8. Delaware

9. Illinois

10. Connecticut