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Food safety scientist salary
Average food safety scientist salary
$80,238
Understanding Food Safety Scientist Salaries
A Food Safety Scientist focuses on analyzing and improving food safety protocols. As of October 2025, the average salary is $80,238 per year, equating to about $39 per hour. This figure can vary based on factors such as location, experience, and specific industry sector.
Salary Variations by Location
Food safety scientists earn varying salaries depending on their location. For instance, states like California and New York often offer higher compensation due to the cost of living and demand for food safety professionals.
- California: Higher salaries due to demand.
- Texas: Competitive pay with a growing market.
- Florida: Opportunities in agriculture and food production.
As the focus on food safety grows, so does the need for qualified scientists. This field offers not just competitive salaries, but also the chance to contribute significantly to public health.
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Where can a Food Safety Scientist earn more?
Food safety scientist salary estimates from across the web
Average food safety scientist salary by state
The highest-paying states for food safety scientists are California, New York, and Ohio. The lowest average food safety scientist salary states are Alaska, Indiana, and North Dakota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for food safety scientists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $92,693 | $44.56 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $83,894 | $40.33 |
| 3 | California | $106,220 | $51.07 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $79,350 | $38.15 |
| 5 | Maryland | $82,454 | $39.64 |
| 6 | South Carolina | $80,993 | $38.94 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $79,250 | $38.10 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $78,269 | $37.63 |
| 9 | Delaware | $75,744 | $36.42 |
| 10 | Montana | $76,502 | $36.78 |
| 11 | Ohio | $87,646 | $42.14 |
| 12 | Nevada | $84,147 | $40.46 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $80,390 | $38.65 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $70,798 | $34.04 |
| 15 | Maine | $72,605 | $34.91 |
| 16 | Illinois | $74,000 | $35.58 |
| 17 | Tennessee | $72,581 | $34.89 |
| 18 | New Mexico | $69,240 | $33.29 |
| 19 | Michigan | $73,121 | $35.15 |
| 20 | Utah | $73,867 | $35.51 |
| 21 | Georgia | $72,654 | $34.93 |
| 22 | Oklahoma | $72,739 | $34.97 |
| 23 | Idaho | $69,398 | $33.36 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $65,744 | $31.61 |
| 25 | Iowa | $65,202 | $31.35 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $68,303 | $32.84 |
| 27 | Washington | $68,940 | $33.14 |
| 28 | Oregon | $67,038 | $32.23 |
| 29 | Kansas | $68,332 | $32.85 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $60,975 | $29.31 |
| 31 | Mississippi | $62,202 | $29.90 |
| 32 | Vermont | $60,786 | $29.22 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $55,875 | $26.86 |
| 34 | District of Columbia | $74,074 | $35.61 |
| 35 | Minnesota | $67,180 | $32.30 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $67,482 | $32.44 |
| 37 | Virginia | $58,287 | $28.02 |
| 38 | Texas | $63,860 | $30.70 |
| 39 | Alabama | $60,917 | $29.29 |
| 40 | Arizona | $59,935 | $28.81 |
| 41 | Alaska | $53,094 | $25.53 |
| 42 | North Carolina | $55,003 | $26.44 |
| 43 | Missouri | $58,413 | $28.08 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $60,865 | $29.26 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $55,502 | $26.68 |
| 46 | Florida | $49,604 | $23.85 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $55,638 | $26.75 |
| 48 | North Dakota | $49,658 | $23.87 |
| 49 | Indiana | $51,711 | $24.86 |
| 50 | Colorado | $44,376 | $21.33 |
| 51 | West Virginia | $48,874 | $23.50 |
Highest paying cities for food safety scientists
The highest-paying cities for food safety scientists are San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, and Hartford, CT.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $117,929 | $56.70 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $92,848 | $44.64 |
| 3 | Hartford, CT | $79,594 | $38.27 |
| 4 | Milton, MA | $79,562 | $38.25 |
| 5 | Wilmington, DE | $76,015 | $36.55 |
| 6 | Glenview, IL | $74,336 | $35.74 |
| 7 | Washington, DC | $74,115 | $35.63 |
| 8 | Kalamazoo, MI | $71,702 | $34.47 |
| 9 | Lancaster, PA | $70,362 | $33.83 |
| 10 | Seattle, WA | $69,562 | $33.44 |
| 11 | Topeka, KS | $67,787 | $32.59 |
| 12 | Lakeville, MN | $67,187 | $32.30 |
| 13 | Austin, TX | $63,930 | $30.74 |
| 14 | Saint Louis, MO | $59,885 | $28.79 |
| 15 | Durham, NC | $55,797 | $26.83 |
Food safety scientist salary details
A food safety scientist's salary ranges from $48,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $132,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a food safety scientist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $132,000 | $11,000 | $63 |
| 75th Percentile | $104,000 | $8,667 | $50 |
| Average | $80,238 | $6,687 | $39 |
| 25th Percentile | $61,000 | $5,083 | $29 |
| 10th Percentile | $48,000 | $4,000 | $23 |
Highest paying food safety scientist jobs
The highest paying types of food safety scientists are senior scientist, scientist, and food scientist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Technologist | $62,229 | $5,186 | $29.92 | 103,677 |
| Scientist | $97,344 | $8,112 | $46.80 | 62,467 |
| Food Scientist | $74,345 | $6,195 | $35.74 | 93,145 |
Top companies hiring food safety scientists now:
Which companies pay food safety scientists the most?
Food safety scientist salaries at Genentech and Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average food safety scientist salary at companies like PTC Therapeutics and Amgen are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genentech | $128,566 | $61.81 |
| 2 | Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc | $102,238 | $49.15 |
| 3 | PTC Therapeutics | $102,098 | $49.09 |
| 4 | Amgen | $101,716 | $48.90 |
| 5 | PepsiCo | $97,387 | $46.82 |
| 6 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $97,314 | $46.79 |
| 7 | AstraZeneca | $94,671 | $45.51 |
| 8 | Mars | $94,377 | $45.37 |
| 9 | PeroxyChem | $92,746 | $44.59 |
| 10 | The Kraft Heinz Company | $92,291 | $44.37 |
| 11 | Zoetis | $88,001 | $42.31 |
| 12 | Integrated Resources | $85,893 | $41.29 |
| 13 | OSI Group | $85,081 | $40.90 |
| 14 | Exponent | $83,341 | $40.07 |
| 15 | Geval6 | $80,041 | $38.48 |
| 16 | Eurofins | $79,613 | $38.28 |
| 17 | Jack in the Box | $78,376 | $37.68 |
| 18 | Dawn Foods Global | $76,197 | $36.63 |
| 19 | Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | $76,188 | $36.63 |
| 20 | United Therapeutics | $72,752 | $34.98 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Food safety scientist salary trends
The average food safety scientist salary has risen by $16,506 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average food safety scientist earned $63,732 annually, but today, they earn $80,238 a year. That works out to a 15% change in pay for food safety scientists over the last decade.
Compare food safety scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average food safety scientist salary over time
Compare food safety scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Food safety scientist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $80,200 | $38.58 | +6.1% |
| 2024 | $75,300 | $36.22 | +5.3% |
| 2023 | $71,300 | $34.30 | +2.5% |
| 2022 | $69,500 | $33.43 | -0.5% |
| 2021 | $69,900 | $33.59 | -3.0% |
Recently added food safety scientist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UL, LLC | AI Safety Scientist | Raleigh, NC | 06/27/2025 | $125,800 |
| Amazon | Applied Scientist, Workplace Health & Safety | Bellevue, WA | 06/24/2025 | $136,000 |
| Didion Milling | Food Safety & Lab Careers Coming Soon | Tony, WI | 06/20/2025 | $45,914 |
| UL Solutions | AI Safety Scientist | Northbrook, IL | 06/17/2025 | $125,800 |
| UL, LLC | AI Safety Scientist | Northbrook, IL | 06/17/2025 | $125,800 |
| Amazon | Applied Scientist-Safety ML | San Francisco, CA | 06/12/2025 | $136,000 |
| Kraft Heinz | Scientist, Food Safety-Operations Support | Glenview, IL | 06/06/2025 | $77,800 |
| The Kraft Heinz Company | Scientist, Food Safety-Operations Support | Glenview, IL | 05/30/2025 | $77,800 |
| Amazon | Applied Scientist, Safety & DAT | Santa Cruz, CA | 05/23/2025 | $136,000 |
| Exponent | Food Safety Scientist (M.S. or PH.D.) | Washington, DC | 04/30/2025 | $130,000 |
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