Food Science Technicians
SOC 19-4013 · 2024-2034
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.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $55,717per year
- Projected openings
- 7,950
- Projected change
- +3.9%
- Usually needs
- Associate's degree
Bright Outlook — a U.S. Department of Labor designation
Rapid Growth
The Department's own designation, made from its national projections. It is not this project's assessment and it is not California's: every other figure on this page comes from California's projection, which can point the other way and for some occupations does.
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Writing
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Science
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $63,531 | 380 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $62,185 | 90 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $60,699 | 450 |
| Merced MSA (Merced County) | $60,480 | 460 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $60,480 | 420 |
| Napa MSA (Napa County) | $59,884 | 370 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $53,130 | 280 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $52,848 | 290 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $52,006 | 160 |
| Vallejo MSA (Solano County) | $51,739 | 130 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $51,688 | 1,000 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $50,701 | 320 |
| North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties) | $50,167 | 50 |
| Visalia MSA (Tulare County) | $49,880 | 510 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $49,818 | 350 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $49,510 | 210 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $49,438 | 520 |
| Salinas MSA (Monterey County) | $49,202 | 250 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $48,596 | 80 |
| Hanford-Corcoran MSA (Kings County) | $48,236 | 160 |
| Chico MSA (Butte County) | $46,829 | 70 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $46,285 | 500 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $44,508 | 240 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $41,932
- A quarter earn under
- $48,398
- Half earn under
- $55,717
- Three quarters earn under
- $65,894
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $78,467
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food Scientists and Technologists | $96,580 | 1,990 | +8.7% |
| Chemical Technicians | $61,176 | 8,370 | +4.3% |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other | $80,543 | 16,040 | +6.6% |
| Agricultural Technicians | $62,009 | 5,430 | +5.9% |
| Calibration Technologists and Technicians | $81,222 | 1,070 | 0% |
| Industrial Production Managers | $134,845 | 18,120 | +0.8% |
Programs that train for this job — 2
Master Brewers (Certificate)
UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education · Davis · $17,125
Applied Sensory and Consumer Science
UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education · Davis · $7,920