Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2004

19-1012 Food Scientists and Technologists

Use chemistry, microbiology, engineering, and other sciences to study the principles underlying the processing and deterioration of foods; analyze food content to determine levels of vitamins, fat, sugar, and protein; discover new food sources; research ways to make processed foods safe, palatable, and healthful; and apply food science knowledge to determine best ways to process, package, preserve, store, and distribute food.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
7,210 3.6 % $26.98 $56,110 1.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $13.66 $17.52 $24.44 $34.86 $43.90
Annual Wage (2) $28,410 $36,450 $50,840 $72,510 $91,300

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Other food manufacturing 1,160 $29.98 $62,360
Scientific research and development services 780 $32.40 $67,380
Dairy product manufacturing 690 $21.51 $44,730
Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty 560 $25.20 $52,410
Management of companies and enterprises 530 $30.98 $64,430

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Misc. nondurable goods merchant wholesalers 240 $40.03 $83,260
Federal government (OES designation) 150 $38.30 $79,660
Scientific research and development services 780 $32.40 $67,380
Management of companies and enterprises 530 $30.98 $64,430
Support activities for crop production 60 $30.87 $64,220

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Nebraska 180 $23.06 $47,960 0.020%
Minnesota 520 $29.14 $60,600 0.020%
North Dakota 60 $23.25 $48,360 0.019%
Idaho 100 $28.09 $58,430 0.017%
Wisconsin 320 $23.19 $48,240 0.012%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
District of Columbia 40 $39.85 $82,900 0.007%
New Jersey 300 $34.79 $72,360 0.008%
Arizona (7) $32.16 $66,880 (7)
North Carolina 80 $29.96 $62,310 0.002%
Colorado 170 $29.84 $62,070 0.008%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Champaign-Urbana, IL MSA 50 $18.13 $37,710 0.055%
Yakima, WA MSA 40 $21.98 $45,710 0.052%
Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, CA MSA 40 $19.12 $39,770 0.033%
Stockton-Lodi, CA MSA 60 $27.19 $56,550 0.029%
Madison, WI MSA 80 $20.06 $41,730 0.028%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Fort Worth-Arlington, TX PMSA (7) $38.75 $80,600 (7)
Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV PMSA 100 $37.22 $77,410 0.004%
Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ PMSA 90 $35.55 $73,950 0.014%
San Francisco, CA PMSA (7) $35.36 $73,550 (7)
Bergen-Passaic, NJ PMSA 70 $34.35 $71,440 0.011%

About May 2004 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) Estimates not released.

All Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

May 2004 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2004 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: June 02, 2005