Food Scientists and Technologists Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $74K, rent takes 26.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,272/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new food scientists and technologists typically earn — is $50K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,029/month. At HUD’s $1,272/month FMR, rent would take 42% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 16% below the national median — $74K here vs. $89K nationally. Cost of living is 7% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.

Louisville/Jefferson County pays $74K median vs. the U.S. average of $89K — that’s -16%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.07), the purchasing-power equivalent is $80K — below the national median.

The median is $74,150 a year, that works out to about $36 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $50,490, and experienced food scientists and technologists can clear $137,650. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,799/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,272/month, which eats 26.5% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Louisville/Jefferson County has a Regional Price Parity of 93.07 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median food scientists and technologists salary is worth about $79,671 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.