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Food technologist salary
Average food technologist salary
$62,229
Average Food Technologist Salary
The average salary for a Food Technologist in the United States is $62,229 annually. This figure can vary significantly based on factors such as location, years of experience, and the specific industry. For instance, food technologists working in high-demand regions or specialized sectors may earn considerably more.
Salary by State
Understanding salary distribution by state reveals key trends. States like California, New York, and Texas often offer higher salaries due to their robust food sectors and cost of living adjustments. For example, food technologists in California earn an average of over $70,000 annually.
Job Opportunities
Job roles for food technologists span various industries, including food manufacturing, quality assurance, and research and development. The highest-paying positions often require advanced degrees or specialized certifications, providing opportunities for career advancement and increased salaries.
Conclusion
Overall, pursuing a career as a food technologist offers promising financial rewards, especially when equipped with relevant experience and education.
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Where can a Food Technologist earn more?
Food technologist salary estimates from across the web
Average food technologist salary by state
The average food technologist salary in New York, Illinois, and Montana are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average food technologist salary states are Arizona, Colorado, and West Virginia.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for food technologists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana | $75,186 | $36.15 |
| 2 | Michigan | $72,336 | $34.78 |
| 3 | South Dakota | $70,199 | $33.75 |
| 4 | Kansas | $68,349 | $32.86 |
| 5 | New York | $76,486 | $36.77 |
| 6 | South Carolina | $65,802 | $31.64 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $68,140 | $32.76 |
| 8 | Illinois | $76,142 | $36.61 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $67,043 | $32.23 |
| 10 | Maine | $61,996 | $29.81 |
| 11 | Vermont | $64,819 | $31.16 |
| 12 | Delaware | $67,176 | $32.30 |
| 13 | Alaska | $62,231 | $29.92 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $61,599 | $29.61 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $63,847 | $30.70 |
| 16 | Maryland | $70,351 | $33.82 |
| 17 | Iowa | $62,245 | $29.93 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $60,281 | $28.98 |
| 19 | Georgia | $59,921 | $28.81 |
| 20 | Nevada | $61,555 | $29.59 |
| 21 | Wyoming | $55,618 | $26.74 |
| 22 | Indiana | $54,296 | $26.10 |
| 23 | California | $68,208 | $32.79 |
| 24 | Idaho | $60,691 | $29.18 |
| 25 | Missouri | $58,368 | $28.06 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $59,459 | $28.59 |
| 27 | District of Columbia | $66,158 | $31.81 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | $58,035 | $27.90 |
| 29 | Washington | $57,695 | $27.74 |
| 30 | Connecticut | $55,296 | $26.58 |
| 31 | Mississippi | $49,283 | $23.69 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $58,134 | $27.95 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $49,857 | $23.97 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $48,051 | $23.10 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $52,198 | $25.10 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $50,372 | $24.22 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $51,936 | $24.97 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $61,712 | $29.67 |
| 39 | Ohio | $51,960 | $24.98 |
| 40 | Oregon | $54,627 | $26.26 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $44,419 | $21.36 |
| 42 | Arizona | $44,284 | $21.29 |
| 43 | Virginia | $51,776 | $24.89 |
| 44 | Alabama | $48,221 | $23.18 |
| 45 | Texas | $48,826 | $23.47 |
| 46 | Florida | $37,735 | $18.14 |
| 47 | Utah | $49,938 | $24.01 |
| 48 | North Carolina | $35,673 | $17.15 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $38,485 | $18.50 |
| 50 | West Virginia | $43,060 | $20.70 |
| 51 | Colorado | $44,262 | $21.28 |
Highest paying cities for food technologists
The highest-paying cities for food technologists are Chicago, IL, Poughkeepsie, NY, and Hayward, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago, IL | $76,791 | $36.92 |
| 2 | Poughkeepsie, NY | $76,568 | $36.81 |
| 3 | Hayward, CA | $75,235 | $36.17 |
| 4 | Detroit, MI | $72,648 | $34.93 |
| 5 | Baltimore, MD | $70,642 | $33.96 |
| 6 | East Windsor, NJ | $63,766 | $30.66 |
| 7 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $61,718 | $29.67 |
| 8 | Danvers, MA | $61,393 | $29.52 |
| 9 | Beloit, WI | $58,474 | $28.11 |
| 10 | Seattle, WA | $58,316 | $28.04 |
| 11 | Murfreesboro, TN | $50,592 | $24.32 |
| 12 | Fargo, ND | $50,343 | $24.20 |
| 13 | Houston, TX | $48,509 | $23.32 |
| 14 | Benton, AR | $44,704 | $21.49 |
| 15 | Fort Collins, CO | $44,567 | $21.43 |
| 16 | Miami, FL | $37,164 | $17.87 |
| 17 | Charlotte, NC | $34,255 | $16.47 |
Food technologist salary details
A food technologist's salary ranges from $39,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $98,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a food technologist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $98,000 | $8,167 | $47 |
| 75th Percentile | $79,000 | $6,583 | $38 |
| Average | $62,229 | $5,186 | $30 |
| 25th Percentile | $48,000 | $4,000 | $23 |
| 10th Percentile | $39,000 | $3,250 | $19 |
Highest paying food technologist jobs
The highest paying types of food technologists are senior chemist, food safety scientist, and research and development chemist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Control | $32,824 | $2,735 | $15.78 | 83,496 |
| Research And Development Chemist | $77,233 | $6,436 | $37.13 | 100,225 |
| Quality Control Chemist | $58,892 | $4,908 | $28.31 | 90,467 |
| Food Safety Scientist | $80,238 | $6,687 | $38.58 | 106,128 |
| Food Scientist | $74,345 | $6,195 | $35.74 | 93,145 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for food technologists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
James Adams
Adjunct Professor, Texas Woman’s University
It is also well known that the salaries in certain parts of the food industry are different and, in some cases, may influence the decision as to what part of the industry the student would like to be a part of, moving forward. Whether it can be proven, I cannot say, but the unwritten understanding is that the chocolate/candy/confection sections of the food industry pay higher starting salaries than, say, the meat or vegetable processing part of our business.
The great thing about the food industry is that there are opportunities that open up for advancement, growth, and learning every day since the landscape is ever-changing. As responsibility increases, salaries follow.
Top companies hiring food technologists now:
Which companies pay food technologists the most?
Food technologist salaries at LexisNexis Reed Tech and Mérieux NutriSciences are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average food technologist salary at companies like Beyond Meat and Rich Products are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LexisNexis Reed Tech | $96,258 | $46.28 |
| 2 | Mérieux NutriSciences | $88,770 | $42.68 |
| 3 | Beyond Meat | $82,695 | $39.76 |
| 4 | Rich Products | $81,036 | $38.96 |
| 5 | The Hershey Company | $78,884 | $37.92 |
| 6 | GradyHealth | $78,570 | $37.77 |
| 7 | ADM | $77,487 | $37.25 |
| 8 | Kellogg | $77,032 | $37.03 |
| 9 | Firmenich | $76,538 | $36.80 |
| 10 | Shaklee | $75,005 | $36.06 |
| 11 | Utz Brands | $74,512 | $35.82 |
| 12 | Talking Rain | $74,298 | $35.72 |
| 13 | Turtle Mountain Community College | $72,366 | $34.79 |
| 14 | Wonton Food | $72,088 | $34.66 |
| 15 | Optimum Nutrition | $71,900 | $34.57 |
| 16 | Hormel Foods | $68,368 | $32.87 |
| 17 | Niagara Bottling | $67,670 | $32.53 |
| 18 | Bama Companies | $67,512 | $32.46 |
| 19 | Kroger | $67,315 | $32.36 |
| 20 | Ready Pac Foods | $67,153 | $32.29 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Food Technologist salary by industry
The average food technologist salary varies across industries:
- The average food technologist salary in the health care industry is $67,596, the highest of any industry.
- The average food technologist salary in the finance industry is $67,504.
- Food technologists in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $64,183, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for food technologists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Care | $67,596 | $32.50 |
| 2 | Retail | $67,504 | $32.45 |
| 3 | Hospitality | $64,245 | $30.89 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $64,183 | $30.86 |
High paying food technologist jobs
Food technologist salary trends
The average food technologist salary has risen by $12,802 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average food technologist earned $49,427 annually, but today, they earn $62,229 a year. That works out to a 15% change in pay for food technologists over the last decade.
Compare food technologist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average food technologist salary over time
Compare food technologist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Food technologist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $62,200 | $29.92 | +6.1% |
| 2024 | $58,400 | $28.09 | +5.3% |
| 2023 | $55,300 | $26.60 | +2.5% |
| 2022 | $53,900 | $25.93 | -0.5% |
| 2021 | $54,200 | $26.05 | -3.0% |
Recently added food technologist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acosta, Inc. | Fresh Foods Technician | Seattle, WA | 06/27/2025 | $42,345 |
| Dsm-Firmenich | Food Technologist, Taste, Applications, Sweet Goods, NAM | Princeton, NJ | 06/27/2025 | $97,000 |
| DSM | Food Technologist, Taste, Applications, Sweet Goods, NAM | Princeton, NJ | 06/26/2025 | $97,000 |
| Children's Health | Food Svcs-Distribution Tech Food Srvcs | Plano, TX | 06/20/2025 | $48,001 |
| Enid Public Schools | Food Tech Secondary | Enid, OK | 06/20/2025 | $25,253 |
| Provide | Food Technologist | Holland, OH | 06/17/2025 | $65,000 |
| Actalent | Food Technologist | Glenview, IL | 06/10/2025 | $73,045 |
| Eurofins Horti | Food Technologist-Product & Process Development | Lafayette, CO | 06/10/2025 | $57,000 |
| Caribbean Food Delights | Advertisement: Food Technologist (2ND Shift) | Tappan, NY | 06/01/2025 | $65,000 |
| C.H. Guenther & Son | Food Technologist | Elk Grove, CA | 05/25/2025 | $61,352 |
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