Food Scientists and Technologists Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $69K, rent takes 32.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,440/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,300/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new food scientists and technologists typically earn — is $50K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,330/month.

Local pay runs 22% below the national median — $69K here vs. $89K nationally.

Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area pays $69K median vs. the U.S. average of $89K — that’s -22%.

The median is $68,960 a year, that works out to about $33 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $50,230, and experienced food scientists and technologists can clear $109,410. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,450/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,440/month, which eats 32.4% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median food scientists and technologists salary is worth about $68,960 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.