Food Scientists and Technologists Salary
Food Scientists and Technologists in St. Louis, MO-IL make a median of $108,200 a year, or about $52.02 an hour. The range runs from $64K at the entry level to $169K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.09), that's roughly $113,787 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,218/month, or 17.8% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $108K get you in St. Louis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by St. Louis’s Regional Price Parity (95.09). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About food scientists and technologists
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What this looks like in St. Louis
St. Louis sits well above the national pay line for food scientists and technologists, local pay runs about 22% higher than the U.S. median of $89K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,218/month, 18.2% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 95.09) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Combined with manageable housing costs, St. Louis offers a genuinely strong financial position for food scientists and technologistss at the median.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for food scientists and technologists in metros near St. Louis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | $105K | $114K |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $100K | $97K |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers | $103K | $113K |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines | $77K | $84K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, St. Louis, MO-IL
Entry-level food scientists and technologists (10th percentile) start around $64K. Mid-career wages sit at $108K. Top earners bring in $169K or more, a $106K spread from bottom to top.
Food Scientists and Technologists pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Food Scientists and Technologists salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | $109K | +22% | 90 |
| Missouri | $106K | +19% | 390 |
| New Jersey | $104K | +18% | 630 |
| Massachusetts | $104K | +17% | 420 |
| Florida | $101K | +14% | 170 |
| Colorado | $100K | +12% | 320 |
| Minnesota | $99K | +12% | 670 |
| Kentucky | $99K | +11% | 170 |
| Alabama | $97K | +10% | 60 |
| Washington | $95K | +7% | 250 |
| Illinois | $94K | +6% | 780 |
| New York | $94K | +6% | 660 |
| California | $94K | +6% | 2,210 |
| Virginia | $94K | +5% | 70 |
| Maryland | $93K | +5% | 270 |
| Texas | $91K | +2% | 840 |
| Arizona | $90K | +2% | N/A |
| Maine | $89K | +1% | 30 |
| Rhode Island | $88K | -1% | 40 |
| Georgia | $86K | -3% | 560 |
| Kansas | $85K | -4% | 380 |
| Oklahoma | $85K | -4% | 50 |
| Arkansas | $84K | -5% | 310 |
| Pennsylvania | $83K | -6% | 400 |
| Wisconsin | $83K | -6% | 410 |
| Iowa | $82K | -8% | 380 |
| Tennessee | $82K | -8% | 70 |
| Oregon | $82K | -8% | 270 |
| Nevada | $81K | -9% | 50 |
| North Carolina | $80K | -10% | 230 |
| New Mexico | $79K | -11% | 30 |
| Idaho | $77K | -13% | 140 |
| Michigan | $77K | -13% | 430 |
| Ohio | $77K | -13% | 270 |
| Utah | $73K | -17% | 120 |
| Nebraska | $72K | -19% | 230 |
| South Dakota | $71K | -20% | 90 |
| Indiana | $69K | -22% | 300 |
| Montana | $52K | -41% | 30 |
Showing 1–10 of 39 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track food scientists and technologists salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when St. Louis numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a food scientists and technologist afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Louis?
Yes — at the median salary of $108K, rent takes 18.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,218/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for food scientists and technologists in St. Louis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new food scientists and technologists typically earn — is $64K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,810/month. At HUD’s $1,218/month FMR, rent would take 32% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is food scientists and technologist a high-paying job in St. Louis?
Local pay is 22% above the national median — $108K here vs. $89K nationally.
How does St. Louis compare to the national average for food scientists and technologists?
St. Louis pays $108K median vs. the U.S. average of $89K — that’s +22%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $114K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do food scientists and technologists make in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The median is $108,200 a year, that works out to about $52 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $63,500, and experienced food scientists and technologists can clear $169,280. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $108K enough to live in St. Louis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,677/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,218/month, which eats 18.2% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a food scientists and technologists salary go in St. Louis?
St. Louis has a Regional Price Parity of 95.09 (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 $113,787 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do food scientists and technologists get paid the most?
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.