A Food Industry's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how geographic location, education
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Do Food Industry Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Food Industries. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $78,045
San Francisco: $77,190
Oakland: $75,563
San Jose, CA$78,045
San Francisco, CA$77,190
Oakland, CA$75,563
New York, NY$71,244
Paramus, NJ$70,377
Queens Village, NY$70,374
Passaic, NJ$70,316
Bergenfield, NJ$70,310
Stamford, CT$70,174
Huntington, NY$70,149
Newark, NJ$69,691
Bridgeport, CT$69,561
Vallejo, CA$69,438
New Brunswick, NJ$69,413
Petaluma, CA$69,376
Middlesex, NJ$69,258
Somerset, NJ$69,215
Santa Cruz, CA$69,134
Boston, MA$68,757
Monterey, CA$68,540
Seattle, WA$68,398
Santa Rosa, CA$68,386
Los Angeles, CA$68,367
Juneau, AK$68,206
Washington, DC$68,138
Orange, CA$67,918
Santa Ana, CA$67,755
Long Beach, CA$67,693
Anaheim, CA$67,680
Anchorage, AK$67,649
Santa Maria, CA$67,464
Everett, WA$67,451
Danbury, CT$67,234
Bremerton, WA$67,148
Tacoma, WA$66,925
New Suffolk, NY$66,924
Sacramento, CA$66,907
Santa Barbara, CA$66,839
Trenton, NJ$66,771
San Diego, CA$66,771
Brockton, MA$66,703
Fairbanks, AK$66,551
Lompoc, CA$66,393
Lowell, MA$66,343
Ventura, CA$66,331
Nashua, NH$66,319
Stockton, CA$66,313
Modesto, CA$65,861
Poughkeepsie, NY$65,725
Olympia, WA$65,607
Kennewick, WA$65,607
New Haven, CT$65,583
Lawrence, MA$65,360
Hartford, CT$65,298
Riverside, CA$65,286
New Bedford, MA$65,224
Richland, WA$65,224
Bakersfield, CA$65,137
San Bernardino, CA$65,112
New Britain, CT$65,106
Atlantic City, NJ$65,106
New London, CT$65,081
Norwich, CT$65,063
Portsmouth, NH$65,051
Boulder, CO$64,919
Portland, OR$64,834
Worcester, MA$64,828
Minneapolis, MN$64,636
Philadelphia, PA$64,549
Honolulu, HI$64,345
Saint Paul, MN$64,315
Vineland, NJ$64,302
Providence, RI$64,122
Chicago, IL$63,943
Bellingham, WA$63,869
Springfield, MA$63,819
Baltimore, MD$63,801
Chico, CA$63,646
Pittsfield, MA$63,479
Manchester, NH$63,361
Spokane, WA$63,089
Denver, CO$63,083
Albany, NY$62,792
Troy, NY$62,767
Nassau, NY$62,701
Schenectady, NY$62,637
Wilmington, DE$62,588
Burlington, VT$62,501
Salem, OR$62,477
Portland, ME$62,285
Yakima, WA$62,223
Rochester, MN$62,031
Reno, NV$62,000
Fresno, CA$62,000
Milwaukee, WI$61,944
Detroit, MI$61,882
Ann Arbor, MI$61,872
Allentown, PA$61,864
Colorado Springs, CO$61,759
Syracuse, NY$61,728
Carson City, NV$61,728
Houston, TX$61,641
Eugene, OR$61,610
Gary, IN$61,536
Springfield, OR$61,486
Bismarck, ND$61,474
Galveston, TX$61,431
Medford, OR$61,338
Fort Collins, CO$61,313
Concord, NH$61,282
Austin, TX$61,264
Mesa, AZ$61,134
Reading, PA$61,128
Phoenix, AZ$61,121
Dallas, TX$61,103
Saint Cloud, MN$61,043
Madison, WI$60,961
Utica, NY$60,793
Rochester, NY$60,694
Des Moines, IA$60,688
Raleigh, NC$60,682
Atlanta, GA$60,589
Battle Creek, MI$60,571
Salt Lake City, UT$60,552
Lancaster, PA$60,459
Harrisburg, PA$60,373
Kansas City, MO$60,311
Champaign, IL$60,298
Kansas City, KS$60,298
Fort Worth, TX$60,292
Columbus, OH$60,282
Boca Raton, FL$60,268
Pittsburgh, PA$60,243
Richmond, VA$60,218
Indianapolis, IN$60,206
Cleveland, OH$60,199
Las Vegas, NV$60,125
Cincinnati, OH$60,125
Petersburg, VA$60,032
Huntsville, AL$59,940
Lansing, MI$59,898
Lebanon, PA$59,890
Pueblo, CO$59,884
Appleton, WI$59,865
Buffalo, NY$59,841
Dayton, OH$59,822
Racine, WI$59,810
Charlotte, NC$59,803
Saint Louis, MO$59,785
York, PA$59,748
Elkhart, IN$59,748
Gastonia, NC$59,736
Billings, MT$59,721
Beaumont, TX$59,704
Lorain, OH$59,692
Benton Harbor, MI$59,680
Toledo, OH$59,667
Binghamton, NY$59,636
Rock Hill, SC$59,630
Rockford, IL$59,599
Springfield, IL$59,575
Elyria, OH$59,568
Fargo, ND$59,568
Flagstaff, AZ$59,525
Fort Lauderdale, FL$59,488
Duluth, MN$59,451
Miami, FL$59,451
Cheyenne, WY$59,407
Grand Forks, ND$59,407
Bangor, ME$59,271
Cedar Rapids, IA$59,203
Durham, NC$59,177
Louisville, KY$59,172
Grand Rapids, MI$59,160
Hialeah, FL$59,154
Casper, WY$59,067
Scranton, PA$58,993
New Orleans, LA$58,974
Virginia Beach, VA$58,968
Akron, OH$58,937
Peoria, IL$58,857
Sarasota, FL$58,844
Nashville, TN$58,801
Omaha, NE$58,801
Green Bay, WI$58,801
Baton Rouge, LA$58,770
Charleston, SC$58,758
Jamestown, NY$58,727
Davenport, IA$58,727
Tucson, AZ$58,696
Saint Petersburg, FL$58,659
Tampa, FL$58,646
Evansville, IN$58,609
Port Arthur, TX$58,609
Bradenton, FL$58,584
Santa Fe, NM$58,473
Orlando, FL$58,362
Clearwater, FL$58,343
Canton, OH$58,213
La Crosse, WI$58,213
Albuquerque, NM$58,176
Newport News, VA$58,170
High Point, NC$58,151
Ogden, UT$58,127
Corpus Christi, TX$58,077
Norfolk, VA$58,040
Laramie, WY$58,040
Rock Island, IL$58,003
Saginaw, MI$57,990
Jacksonville, FL$57,984
Salisbury, NC$57,972
Boise, ID$57,960
Moline, IL$57,929
Fort Myers, FL$57,910
Memphis, TN$57,898
Tulsa, OK$57,867
Waterloo, IA$57,830
Spartanburg, SC$57,768
Lincoln, NE$57,737
Fort Wayne, IN$57,724
Provo, UT$57,718
Cedar Falls, IA$57,644
San Antonio, TX$57,619
Greensboro, NC$57,594
South Bend, IN$57,588
Savannah, GA$57,520
Muskegon, MI$57,495
Birmingham, AL$57,489
Winston Salem, NC$57,459
Lake Charles, LA$57,310
Anderson, IN$57,297
Lexington, KY$57,279
Augusta, GA$57,260
Greenville, SC$57,260
Lima, OH$57,211
Wichita, KS$57,205
Tuscaloosa, AL$57,205
Columbia, SC$57,149
Springfield, OH$57,137
Asheville, NC$57,038
Bloomington, IN$56,994
Knoxville, TN$56,772
Shreveport, LA$56,765
Wilmington, NC$56,685
Roanoke, VA$56,685
Topeka, KS$56,574
Frankfort, KY$56,567
Oklahoma City, OK$56,524
Chillicothe, OH$56,499
Longview, TX$56,493
Melbourne, FL$56,487
Sioux Falls, SD$56,388
Mobile, AL$56,382
Terre Haute, IN$56,357
Altoona, PA$56,320
Amarillo, TX$56,276
Killeen, TX$56,258
Fayetteville, AR$56,208
Chattanooga, TN$56,190
Sioux City, IA$56,134
Idaho Falls, ID$56,122
Lynchburg, VA$56,072
Gainesville, FL$55,992
Portsmouth, OH$55,961
Little Rock, AR$55,949
Lafayette, LA$55,924
Youngstown, OH$55,924
Daytona Beach, FL$55,887
Clarksville, TN$55,880
Pensacola, FL$55,874
Temple, TX$55,870
Hopkinsville, KY$55,689
Erie, PA$55,676
Florence, SC$55,652
Charleston, WV$55,553
Great Falls, MT$55,522
Macon, GA$55,435
Tallahassee, FL$55,429
Fayetteville, NC$55,416
Waco, TX$55,404
Helena, MT$55,361
Pine Bluff, AR$55,337
Vincennes, IN$55,262
Lubbock, TX$55,237
Alamogordo, NM$55,200
Twin Falls, ID$55,144
Rapid City, SD$55,126
Jackson, MS$55,014
Huntington, WV$55,010
Greenville, MS$55,008
Parkersburg, WV$54,945
Montgomery, AL$54,934
Wichita Falls, TX$54,872
Springfield, MO$54,872
Biloxi, MS$54,841
Monroe, LA$54,779
Johnstown, PA$54,736
Sumter, SC$54,711
Columbus, GA$54,705
Pascagoula, MS$54,587
Abilene, TX$54,587
Kingsport, TN$54,426
Albany, GA$54,426
Gulfport, MS$54,408
Alexandria, LA$54,204
Fort Smith, AR$54,049
El Paso, TX$53,882
Las Cruces, NM$53,603
Harlingen, TX$53,446
Pocatello, ID$53,436
Florence, AL$53,356
Brownsville, TX$53,344
Mcallen, TX$53,214
Dothan, AL$53,127
Columbus, MS$52,759
Altus, OK$52,471
Lawton, OK$52,354
Pierre, SD$52,131
What Skills Can Increase a Food Industry's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Customer Service (Mentioned in 14.17% Job Postings): Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.
Container (Mentioned in 1.44% Job Postings): Container is an object used for or capable of holding, esp for transport or storage, such as a carton, box, etc.
Equipment Maintenance (Mentioned in 1.1% Job Postings): Keeping business equipment in reliable working order and condition to lessen downtime and assure equipment safety.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Food Industry's salary.
Analysis: Can increase your salary by up to 21%.
Presentation: Can increase your salary by up to 17%.
Food Industry Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Food Industry roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 75% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Pharmaceuticals and Energy & Utilities
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 25% above the average.
In contrast, Food Industry positions in Financial Services or Transportation typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Food Industry as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Food Industry
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Pharmaceuticals
$77,345
$37.0
25%
Energy & Utilities
$74,252
$36.0
20%
Software & Networking
$73,014
$35.0
18%
Biotechnology
$71,158
$34.0
15%
Internet
$69,301
$33.0
12%
How Education impacts a Food Industry's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Food Industries enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree,
higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data,
the median salary for a Food Industry with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between
$62,794
and $66,204).
Food Industry Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Food Industry's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Salaries for a Food Industry can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $63,871 in 2023
to around $63,476 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Food Industry salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Food Industry Over Time
$???
$63,871
$63,941
$63,476
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$63,871
2024
$63,941
2025
$63,476
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Food Industry
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Food Industry
Here are companies hiring for Food Industry and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
Find Your Next Food Industry Job
Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Food Industry job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.
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FAQ about Food Industry
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Food Industry?
The Pharmaceuticals industry offers the highest average compensation for Food Industry roles,
with salaries approximately 25% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
