Food technologists use the sciences, such as microbiology and chemistry, to understand how food deterioration and processing works. They may also be involved in research that analyzes food nutrition or work to make food healthier, tastier or safer. There are just under 11,000 such technologists working in the United States. and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics -- from which the following wage data is pulled -- reports that this job market will grow by 16 percent by 2018.
National Average
Nationally, the typical food technologist earns an average annual salary of $64,370. This breaks down to an average hourly rate of $30.95. Of course, not all technologists are created equal. Those in the 10th percentile -- meaning 10 percent of technologists earn less than them -- make $34,530 on average annually; those in the 75th percentile rake in $79,920 every year; and technologists in the 90th percentile earn $103,160 annually.
Employers by Employee Numbers
Scientific research companies employ the greatest number of food technologists -- a full 19 percent of the total job market. In such industries, the technologists make an average annual salary of $71,710. The next two greatest employers of food technologists are food manufacturers and enterprise management corporations, where the respective annual wages are $67,600 and $75,780.
Employers by Salaries
The best-paying employers of food technologists are nondurable goods wholesalers, who pay an average annual salary of $97,440 to their technologists. The federal government is the second-highest paying employer, doling out $88,710. Finally, grocery wholesalers come in third, paying food technologists an average of $77,970.
States by Employment Numbers
Minnesota employs the greatest concentration of food technologists, and Minnesota technologists make $74,220 on average in annual salary. The next two states with the greatest concentration of food technologists are Illinois, ringing in at $59,080, and Idaho at $61,280.
Cities by Pay
If you're a food technologist considering relocating for better pay, New Brunswick, New Jersey, is your best bet. This city has the highest reported annual salary average for this job market at $97,850. That's more than $30,000 higher than the national average. The second-highest paying city for food technologists is Washington, D.C., at $90,740, followed by Newark, New Jersey, at $82,300.
Tags: annual salary, average annual, average annual salary, food technologists, food technologists, make average, annual salary next
