Food Scientists and Technologists Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $98K, rent takes 23.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,421/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new food scientists and technologists typically earn — is $56K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,361/month.

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $98K locally vs. $89K nationally, a 10% difference.

South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area pays $98K median vs. the U.S. average of $89K — that’s +10%.

The median is $97,790 a year, that works out to about $47 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $56,010, and experienced food scientists and technologists can clear $130,900. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,087/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,421/month, which eats 23.3% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

South Central Wisconsin 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 $97,790 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.