Headline risk
10%
Low RiskFood scientists and technologists
United States AI Work Index tracks this occupation on the shared structural baseline and then layers on local demand resilience, wages, and confidence.
Why This Score
Weighted task overlap from O*NET
Median annual from BLS OEWS
BLS employment projections
O*NET job zone level
Occupation profile
Use chemistry, microbiology, engineering, and other sciences to study the principles underlying the processing and deterioration of foods; analyze food content to determine levels of vitamins, fat, sugar, and protein; discover new food sources; research ways to make processed foods safe, palatable, and healthful; and apply food science knowledge to determine best ways to process, package, preserve, store, and distribute food.
Task evidence
100% weighted task match · 0% effective coverage
Method contract
structural_pressure = exposure × (1 - bottleneck)
headline_risk = structural_pressure × (1 - country_demand_resilience)
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 85,310
Employment 2024
15.2K
Projected Change
6.5%
Openings
1.2K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Overall employment of agricultural and food scientists is projected to grow 6 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management. AI 0%
- 2. Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value. AI 0%
- 3. Study methods to improve aspects of foods, such as chemical composition, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience. AI 0%
- 4. Develop food standards and production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications. AI 0%
- 5. Confer with process engineers, plant operators, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development. AI 0%
- 6. Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature. AI 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 41.5 · 274K employed
Under 25: 8% · 25–54: 69% · 55+: 23%
Related
No direct US role match is available yet for this occupation.
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Mapping quality
title_match · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Agricultural and food scientists research ways to improve the efficiency, quality, and safety of agricultural and food production establishments.
Agricultural and food scientists work in laboratories, in offices, and in the field. Most agricultural and food scientists work full time.
Agricultural and food scientists typically need at least a bachelor’s degree in animal science, food science, plant biology, or a related field. Employers may prefer or require a master’s or doctoral degree.
The median annual wage for agricultural and food scientists was $78,770 in May 2024.
Overall employment of agricultural and food scientists is projected to grow 6 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.
Published limitations
This page shows the local country layer, not realised individual job outcomes. The global structural baseline is shared across countries; only the local demand and wage layer changes here.
Built from O*NET occupation descriptions, task statements, technology skills, work context, Job Zones, Anthropic task penetration, BLS OEWS wages, BLS projection tables, BLS ORS requirements, BLS OOH narrative content, BLS skills data, and BLS CPS occupation age tables.