How much does a Food Processing make in the United States?
As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Food Processing in the United States is $50,847 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $24.
However, a Food Processing's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $58,601
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $46,934 to $54,906
Key Factors That Influence Food Processing Salaries
A Food Processing's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Food Processing Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Food Processing's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
How Do Food Processing 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 Processings. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
District of Columbia: $56,298.
California: $56,085.
Massachusetts: $55,337.
District of Columbia$56,298
California$56,085
Massachusetts$55,337
Washington$55,134
New Jersey$55,113
Alaska$55,042
Connecticut$54,341
New York$54,056
Hawaii$53,146
Rhode Island$52,718
Maryland$52,429
Minnesota$52,032
Colorado$51,880
Illinois$51,829
Oregon$51,635
Delaware$51,493
New Hampshire$51,404
Virginia$51,203
Pennsylvania$50,618
Nevada$50,324
North Dakota$50,227
Michigan$50,074
Wisconsin$50,018
Vermont$49,907
Texas$49,596
Maine$49,576
Arizona$49,546
Ohio$49,510
Georgia$49,042
Indiana$48,808
Wyoming$48,763
Utah$48,691
Iowa$48,661
Kansas$48,417
Louisiana$48,346
North Carolina$48,320
Missouri$48,310
Florida$48,112
Montana$48,005
Nebraska$47,903
Kentucky$47,847
South Carolina$47,644
Tennessee$47,517
Idaho$47,466
New Mexico$47,095
Oklahoma$47,013
Alabama$46,713
South Dakota$46,210
Arkansas$45,935
West Virginia$45,788
Mississippi$45,346
Top Paying Cities for Food Processings
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: $64,134
San Francisco: $63,431
Oakland: $62,095
San Jose, CA$64,134
San Francisco, CA$63,431
Oakland, CA$62,095
New York, NY$58,545
Paramus, NJ$57,833
Queens Village, NY$57,831
Passaic, NJ$57,782
Bergenfield, NJ$57,778
Stamford, CT$57,666
Huntington, NY$57,645
Newark, NJ$57,269
Bridgeport, CT$57,162
Vallejo, CA$57,061
New Brunswick, NJ$57,041
Petaluma, CA$57,010
Middlesex, NJ$56,913
Somerset, NJ$56,878
Santa Cruz, CA$56,812
Boston, MA$56,502
Monterey, CA$56,323
Seattle, WA$56,207
Santa Rosa, CA$56,196
Los Angeles, CA$56,181
Juneau, AK$56,049
Washington, DC$55,993
Orange, CA$55,812
Santa Ana, CA$55,678
Long Beach, CA$55,627
Anaheim, CA$55,617
Anchorage, AK$55,591
Santa Maria, CA$55,439
Everett, WA$55,429
Danbury, CT$55,250
Bremerton, WA$55,179
Tacoma, WA$54,996
New Suffolk, NY$54,995
Sacramento, CA$54,981
Santa Barbara, CA$54,925
Trenton, NJ$54,869
San Diego, CA$54,869
Brockton, MA$54,813
Fairbanks, AK$54,689
Lompoc, CA$54,559
Lowell, MA$54,518
Ventura, CA$54,508
Nashua, NH$54,498
Stockton, CA$54,493
Modesto, CA$54,122
Poughkeepsie, NY$54,010
Olympia, WA$53,913
Kennewick, WA$53,913
New Haven, CT$53,893
Lawrence, MA$53,710
Hartford, CT$53,659
Riverside, CA$53,649
New Bedford, MA$53,598
Richland, WA$53,598
Bakersfield, CA$53,527
San Bernardino, CA$53,507
New Britain, CT$53,502
Atlantic City, NJ$53,502
New London, CT$53,481
Norwich, CT$53,466
Portsmouth, NH$53,456
Boulder, CO$53,348
Portland, OR$53,278
Worcester, MA$53,273
Minneapolis, MN$53,115
Philadelphia, PA$53,044
Honolulu, HI$52,876
Saint Paul, MN$52,852
Vineland, NJ$52,841
Providence, RI$52,693
Chicago, IL$52,546
Bellingham, WA$52,485
Springfield, MA$52,444
Baltimore, MD$52,429
Chico, CA$52,302
Pittsfield, MA$52,164
Manchester, NH$52,068
Spokane, WA$51,844
Denver, CO$51,839
Albany, NY$51,600
Troy, NY$51,580
Nassau, NY$51,525
Schenectady, NY$51,473
Wilmington, DE$51,432
Burlington, VT$51,361
Salem, OR$51,341
Portland, ME$51,183
Yakima, WA$51,132
Rochester, MN$50,974
Reno, NV$50,949
Fresno, CA$50,949
Milwaukee, WI$50,903
Detroit, MI$50,852
Ann Arbor, MI$50,844
Allentown, PA$50,837
Colorado Springs, CO$50,751
Syracuse, NY$50,725
Carson City, NV$50,725
Houston, TX$50,654
Eugene, OR$50,629
Gary, IN$50,568
Springfield, OR$50,527
Bismarck, ND$50,517
Galveston, TX$50,481
Medford, OR$50,405
Fort Collins, CO$50,385
Concord, NH$50,359
Austin, TX$50,344
Mesa, AZ$50,237
Reading, PA$50,232
Phoenix, AZ$50,227
Dallas, TX$50,212
Saint Cloud, MN$50,163
Madison, WI$50,095
Utica, NY$49,957
Rochester, NY$49,876
Des Moines, IA$49,871
Raleigh, NC$49,866
Atlanta, GA$49,790
Battle Creek, MI$49,774
Salt Lake City, UT$49,759
Lancaster, PA$49,683
Harrisburg, PA$49,612
Kansas City, MO$49,561
Champaign, IL$49,551
Kansas City, KS$49,551
Fort Worth, TX$49,546
Columbus, OH$49,537
Boca Raton, FL$49,525
Pittsburgh, PA$49,505
Richmond, VA$49,485
Indianapolis, IN$49,474
Cleveland, OH$49,469
Las Vegas, NV$49,408
Cincinnati, OH$49,408
Petersburg, VA$49,332
Huntsville, AL$49,256
Lansing, MI$49,222
Lebanon, PA$49,215
Pueblo, CO$49,210
Appleton, WI$49,195
Buffalo, NY$49,174
Dayton, OH$49,159
Racine, WI$49,149
Charlotte, NC$49,144
Saint Louis, MO$49,129
York, PA$49,098
Elkhart, IN$49,098
Gastonia, NC$49,088
Billings, MT$49,076
Beaumont, TX$49,063
Lorain, OH$49,052
Benton Harbor, MI$49,042
Toledo, OH$49,032
Binghamton, NY$49,007
Rock Hill, SC$49,002
Rockford, IL$48,976
Springfield, IL$48,956
Elyria, OH$48,951
Fargo, ND$48,951
Flagstaff, AZ$48,915
Fort Lauderdale, FL$48,885
Duluth, MN$48,854
Miami, FL$48,854
Cheyenne, WY$48,818
Grand Forks, ND$48,818
Bangor, ME$48,707
Cedar Rapids, IA$48,651
Durham, NC$48,629
Louisville, KY$48,625
Grand Rapids, MI$48,615
Hialeah, FL$48,610
Casper, WY$48,539
Scranton, PA$48,478
New Orleans, LA$48,463
Virginia Beach, VA$48,457
Akron, OH$48,432
Peoria, IL$48,366
Sarasota, FL$48,356
Nashville, TN$48,320
Omaha, NE$48,320
Green Bay, WI$48,320
Baton Rouge, LA$48,295
Charleston, SC$48,285
Jamestown, NY$48,259
Davenport, IA$48,259
Tucson, AZ$48,234
Saint Petersburg, FL$48,203
Tampa, FL$48,193
Evansville, IN$48,163
Port Arthur, TX$48,163
Bradenton, FL$48,142
Santa Fe, NM$48,051
Orlando, FL$47,959
Clearwater, FL$47,944
Canton, OH$47,837
La Crosse, WI$47,837
Albuquerque, NM$47,807
Newport News, VA$47,802
High Point, NC$47,786
Ogden, UT$47,766
Corpus Christi, TX$47,725
Norfolk, VA$47,695
Laramie, WY$47,695
Rock Island, IL$47,664
Saginaw, MI$47,654
Jacksonville, FL$47,649
Salisbury, NC$47,639
Boise, ID$47,629
Moline, IL$47,603
Fort Myers, FL$47,588
Memphis, TN$47,578
Tulsa, OK$47,552
Waterloo, IA$47,522
Spartanburg, SC$47,471
Lincoln, NE$47,446
Fort Wayne, IN$47,435
Provo, UT$47,430
Cedar Falls, IA$47,369
San Antonio, TX$47,349
Greensboro, NC$47,329
South Bend, IN$47,324
Savannah, GA$47,268
Muskegon, MI$47,247
Birmingham, AL$47,242
Winston Salem, NC$47,217
Lake Charles, LA$47,095
Anderson, IN$47,085
Lexington, KY$47,069
Augusta, GA$47,054
Greenville, SC$47,054
Lima, OH$47,013
Wichita, KS$47,008
Tuscaloosa, AL$47,008
Columbia, SC$46,963
Springfield, OH$46,952
Asheville, NC$46,871
Bloomington, IN$46,835
Knoxville, TN$46,652
Shreveport, LA$46,647
Wilmington, NC$46,581
Roanoke, VA$46,581
Topeka, KS$46,490
Frankfort, KY$46,484
Oklahoma City, OK$46,449
Chillicothe, OH$46,429
Longview, TX$46,424
Melbourne, FL$46,419
Sioux Falls, SD$46,337
Mobile, AL$46,332
Terre Haute, IN$46,312
Altoona, PA$46,281
Amarillo, TX$46,246
Killeen, TX$46,230
Fayetteville, AR$46,190
Chattanooga, TN$46,174
Sioux City, IA$46,129
Idaho Falls, ID$46,119
Lynchburg, VA$46,078
Gainesville, FL$46,012
Portsmouth, OH$45,986
Little Rock, AR$45,976
Lafayette, LA$45,956
Youngstown, OH$45,956
Daytona Beach, FL$45,925
Clarksville, TN$45,920
Pensacola, FL$45,915
Temple, TX$45,912
Hopkinsville, KY$45,763
Erie, PA$45,752
Florence, SC$45,732
Charleston, WV$45,651
Great Falls, MT$45,625
Macon, GA$45,554
Tallahassee, FL$45,549
Fayetteville, NC$45,539
Waco, TX$45,529
Helena, MT$45,493
Pine Bluff, AR$45,474
Vincennes, IN$45,412
Lubbock, TX$45,391
Alamogordo, NM$45,361
Twin Falls, ID$45,315
Rapid City, SD$45,300
Jackson, MS$45,208
Huntington, WV$45,205
Greenville, MS$45,203
Parkersburg, WV$45,151
Montgomery, AL$45,142
Wichita Falls, TX$45,091
Springfield, MO$45,091
Biloxi, MS$45,066
Monroe, LA$45,015
Johnstown, PA$44,980
Sumter, SC$44,959
Columbus, GA$44,954
Pascagoula, MS$44,857
Abilene, TX$44,857
Kingsport, TN$44,725
Albany, GA$44,725
Gulfport, MS$44,710
Alexandria, LA$44,542
Fort Smith, AR$44,415
El Paso, TX$44,278
Las Cruces, NM$44,049
Harlingen, TX$43,920
Pocatello, ID$43,912
Florence, AL$43,846
Brownsville, TX$43,835
Mcallen, TX$43,729
Dothan, AL$43,657
Columbus, MS$43,355
Altus, OK$43,119
Lawton, OK$43,022
Pierre, SD$42,839
What Skills Can Increase a Food Processing's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Analysis (Mentioned in 9.43% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
Phlebotomy (Mentioned in 3.41% Job Postings): Phlebotomy is the process of making a puncture in a vein, usually in the arm, with a cannula for the purpose of drawing blood.
Medical Laboratory (Mentioned in 1.98% Job Postings): Testing and analyzing medical and clinical specimens to help in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.
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 Processing's salary.
Clinical Diagnostic: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
Collaboration: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
Product Testing: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
Food Processing Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Food Processing roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 38% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Internet and Energy & Utilities
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average.
In contrast, Food Processing positions in Transportation or Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Food Processing as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Food Processing
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Internet
$61,017
$29.0
20%
Energy & Utilities
$58,474
$28.0
15%
Aerospace & Defense
$56,949
$27.0
12%
Financial Services
$56,949
$27.0
12%
Pharmaceuticals
$55,932
$27.0
10%
Food Processing Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Food Processing'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.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$46,934
Average$50,847/year
$54,906
$3,911
Average$4,237/month
$4,576
$903
Average$978/week
$1,056
$23
Average$24/hour
$26
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$54,906
$4,576
$1,056
$26
Average
$50,847
$4,237
$978
$24
25th Percentile
$46,934
$3,911
$903
$23
Salaries of Jobs related to Food Processing
Food and Beverage Technologist IV$128,800
Food Scientist IV$128,780
Food Product R&D Scientist IV$128,780
Processing Manager$104,446
Food and Beverage Technologist III$101,300
Food Product R&D Scientist III$101,260
Food Scientist III$101,259
Food Processing Engineer$85,150
Food Scientist II$83,787
Food Product R&D Scientist I$70,990
Food Scientist I$70,981
Salary Trends for Food Processing
Salaries for a Food Processing can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $42,369 in 2023
to around $41,770 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Food Processing salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Food Processing Over Time
$???
$42,369
$42,225
$41,770
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$42,369
2024
$42,225
2025
$41,770
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Food Processing
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Food Processing
Here are companies hiring for Food Processing 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 Processing Job
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FAQ about Food Processing
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Food Processing?
The Internet industry offers the highest average compensation for Food Processing roles,
with salaries approximately 20% 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.
