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Best states for a research food technologist
Quoted expert
Sajid Alavi Ph.D.
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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and life, physical, and social science careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to research food technologist jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for research food technologists.As research food technologists are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for research food technologists. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a research food technologist, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for research food technologists.We found that the Midwest is best for research food technologists, and the Northeast is the worst. Oakland, CA is the best city in the country for research food technologist jobs, where as Montana is the best state in the country.
10 best states for research food technologists in 2025
1. Montana
Total research food technologist jobs: 282 Average annual salary: $80,124 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
2. California
Total research food technologist jobs: 6,159 Average annual salary: $99,636 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $176,000 Location Quotient: 1.02
3. Rhode Island
Total research food technologist jobs: 313 Average annual salary: $73,688 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
4. South Carolina
Total research food technologist jobs: 975 Average annual salary: $79,278 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
5. Ohio
Total research food technologist jobs: 2,076 Average annual salary: $82,391 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
6. Alaska
Total research food technologist jobs: 138 Average annual salary: $98,381 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $186,000 Location Quotient: 0.8
7. Tennessee
Total research food technologist jobs: 1,542 Average annual salary: $68,039 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 1.27
8. Connecticut
Total research food technologist jobs: 738 Average annual salary: $74,429 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
9. Nevada
Total research food technologist jobs: 396 Average annual salary: $77,605 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 0.92
10. Pennsylvania
Total research food technologist jobs: 2,933 Average annual salary: $68,050 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 1.22
Research food technologist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a research food technologist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a research food technologist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana | $80,124 | $40,000 | 1,050,493 | 282 |
| 2 | California | $99,636 | $56,000 | 39,536,653 | 6,159 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $73,688 | $40,000 | 1,059,639 | 313 |
| 4 | South Carolina | $79,278 | $46,000 | 5,024,369 | 975 |
| 5 | Ohio | $82,391 | $44,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,076 |
| 6 | Alaska | $98,381 | $51,000 | 739,795 | 138 |
| 7 | Tennessee | $68,039 | $38,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,542 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $74,429 | $41,000 | 3,588,184 | 738 |
| 9 | Nevada | $77,605 | $41,000 | 2,998,039 | 396 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $68,050 | $37,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,933 |
| 11 | Kansas | $74,667 | $41,000 | 2,913,123 | 604 |
| 12 | Michigan | $69,204 | $36,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,811 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $69,416 | $38,000 | 1,342,795 | 414 |
| 14 | Georgia | $71,053 | $41,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,115 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $71,416 | $39,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,897 |
| 16 | Delaware | $73,209 | $40,000 | 961,939 | 247 |
| 17 | Oregon | $67,879 | $33,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,016 |
| 18 | New York | $78,357 | $43,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,782 |
| 19 | Maryland | $79,690 | $44,000 | 6,052,177 | 703 |
| 20 | Washington | $74,603 | $37,000 | 7,405,743 | 986 |
| 21 | Idaho | $68,625 | $34,000 | 1,716,943 | 309 |
| 22 | Mississippi | $60,567 | $35,000 | 2,984,100 | 525 |
| 23 | Oklahoma | $67,127 | $37,000 | 3,930,864 | 616 |
| 24 | Nebraska | $62,381 | $34,000 | 1,920,076 | 500 |
| 25 | Utah | $66,487 | $34,000 | 3,101,833 | 646 |
| 26 | Massachusetts | $71,790 | $39,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,447 |
| 27 | Illinois | $69,410 | $37,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,190 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $62,154 | $34,000 | 2,088,070 | 445 |
| 29 | Maine | $60,023 | $33,000 | 1,335,907 | 345 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $57,915 | $30,000 | 579,315 | 154 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $60,210 | $35,000 | 4,684,333 | 701 |
| 32 | Texas | $61,357 | $35,000 | 28,304,596 | 4,286 |
| 33 | District of Columbia | $71,610 | $39,000 | 693,972 | 124 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $60,843 | $32,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,122 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $53,013 | $28,000 | 869,666 | 285 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $70,997 | $57,000 | 1,427,538 | 140 |
| 37 | Minnesota | $62,145 | $32,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,286 |
| 38 | Vermont | $51,215 | $28,000 | 623,657 | 208 |
| 39 | Alabama | $59,360 | $34,000 | 4,874,747 | 675 |
| 40 | Arizona | $54,605 | $30,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,337 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $53,305 | $30,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,198 |
| 42 | Iowa | $59,497 | $32,000 | 3,145,711 | 624 |
| 43 | Virginia | $56,629 | $31,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,064 |
| 44 | Florida | $50,939 | $31,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,820 |
| 45 | Indiana | $47,494 | $25,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,529 |
| 46 | Missouri | $52,887 | $29,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,196 |
| 47 | North Dakota | $49,346 | $25,000 | 755,393 | 192 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $51,093 | $28,000 | 4,454,189 | 750 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $51,994 | $29,000 | 3,004,279 | 500 |
| 50 | West Virginia | $46,399 | $25,000 | 1,815,857 | 325 |
| 51 | Colorado | $39,177 | $21,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,258 |
Highest paying states for research food technologists
| Rank | State | Avg. Research Food Technologist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana | $80,124 |
| 2 | California | $99,636 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $73,688 |
| 4 | South Carolina | $79,278 |
| 5 | Ohio | $82,391 |
| 6 | Alaska | $98,381 |
| 7 | Tennessee | $68,039 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $74,429 |
| 9 | Nevada | $77,605 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $68,050 |
| 11 | Kansas | $74,667 |
| 12 | Michigan | $69,204 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $69,416 |
| 14 | Georgia | $71,053 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $71,416 |
| 16 | Delaware | $73,209 |
| 17 | Oregon | $67,879 |
| 18 | New York | $78,357 |
| 19 | Maryland | $79,690 |
| 20 | Washington | $74,603 |
| 21 | Idaho | $68,625 |
| 22 | Mississippi | $60,567 |
| 23 | Oklahoma | $67,127 |
| 24 | Nebraska | $62,381 |
| 25 | Utah | $66,487 |
| 26 | Massachusetts | $71,790 |
| 27 | Illinois | $69,410 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $62,154 |
| 29 | Maine | $60,023 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $57,915 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $60,210 |
| 32 | Texas | $61,357 |
| 33 | District of Columbia | $71,610 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $60,843 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $53,013 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $70,997 |
| 37 | Minnesota | $62,145 |
| 38 | Vermont | $51,215 |
| 39 | Alabama | $59,360 |
| 40 | Arizona | $54,605 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $53,305 |
| 42 | Iowa | $59,497 |
| 43 | Virginia | $56,629 |
| 44 | Florida | $50,939 |
| 45 | Indiana | $47,494 |
| 46 | Missouri | $52,887 |
| 47 | North Dakota | $49,346 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $51,093 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $51,994 |
| 50 | West Virginia | $46,399 |
| 51 | Colorado | $39,177 |
Expert opinions on the best states for research food technologists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for research food technologists to find work opportunities?
Sajid Alavi Ph.D.
Professor, Kansas State University
The geographical locations where food science and technology will be available in the next several years would probably not change much. Locations near big cities (not necessarily in the cities) are where a lot of jobs are concentrated, be it the east or west coast, or other parts such as the midwest.
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Updated January 8, 2025