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The national median salary for Food Science Technicians is $52,125 per year ($25.06/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $46,010 and $63,274 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $78,811 per year. There are approximately 14,600 food science technicians employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Work with food scientists or technologists to perform standardized qualitative and quantitative tests to determine physical or chemical properties of food or beverage products. Includes technicians who assist in research and development of production technology, quality control, packaging, processing, and use of foods.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+4.8%
Faster than average
Annual openings
3K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
20K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
3% from new growth97% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Associate's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Dairy Product Manufacturing
NAICS 311500
2K
$55,380
Other Food Manufacturing
NAICS 311900
2K
$54,480
Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing
NAICS 311400
2K
$49,050
Beverage Manufacturing
NAICS 312100
1K
$63,350
Animal Slaughtering and Processing
NAICS 311600
1K
$47,760
Wage range across top 5 industries: $47,760 to $63,350 (33% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$19.14
$39,811
P25
$22.12
$46,010
P50MEDIAN
$25.06
$52,125
P75
$30.42
$63,274
P90
$37.89
$78,811
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average food science technicians salary?
The national median salary for Food Science Technicians is $52,125 per year ($25.06/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $46,010 and $63,274 annually.
How much do top-earning food science technicians make?
The 90th percentile salary for Food Science Technicians is $78,811 per year ($37.89/hr). The 75th percentile is $63,274 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for food science technicians?
Entry-level Food Science Technicians (10th percentile) earn approximately $39,811 per year ($19.14/hr). The 25th percentile is $46,010 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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