Food Science Technicians
Also called: Central Laboratory Technician (CLT), Laboratory Technician (Lab Tech), QC Tech (Quality Control Technician), Quality Assurance Analyst (QA Analyst)Work with food scientists or technologists to perform standardized qualitative and quantitative tests to determine physical or chemical properties of food or beverage products. Includes technicians who assist in research and development of production technology, quality control, packaging, processing, and use of foods.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 7 of its 16 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 4.8% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.2% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other life, physical, and social science technicians”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 8.4 hires for every 10 job openings in nondurable goods manufacturing, which employs about 77% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.8.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $40,940 | $38,640 to $44,470 | 30 |
| Arkansas | $46,810 | $43,710 to $55,820 | 140 |
| California | $54,200 | $47,080 to $64,100 | 3,990 |
| Colorado | $58,540 | $55,750 to $64,850 | 270 |
| Connecticut | $49,700 | $47,710 to $55,900 | not published |
| Florida | $58,500 | $46,120 to $82,350 | 250 |
| Georgia | $53,150 | $39,730 to $80,560 | 260 |
| Idaho | $48,980 | $42,550 to $55,630 | 560 |
| Illinois | $60,820 | $50,730 to $81,090 | 290 |
| Indiana | $44,630 | $40,410 to $51,820 | 530 |
| Iowa | $50,740 | $47,180 to $58,150 | 420 |
| Kansas | $39,930 | $36,900 to $65,040 | 60 |
| Kentucky | $64,770 | $52,640 to $80,490 | 160 |
| Louisiana | $44,310 | $36,940 to $46,680 | 30 |
| Maryland | $57,880 | $50,900 to $68,250 | 280 |
| Massachusetts | $56,850 | $44,900 to $63,170 | 260 |
| Michigan | $52,130 | $49,610 to $55,510 | 250 |
| Minnesota | $57,940 | $48,190 to $63,020 | 380 |
| Mississippi | $51,460 | $37,580 to $67,490 | 50 |
| Missouri | $59,570 | $46,560 to $83,570 | 150 |
| Nebraska | $48,530 | $47,580 to $54,010 | 170 |
| Nevada | $59,070 | $53,170 to $62,870 | 110 |
| New Jersey | $56,730 | $44,520 to $65,110 | 590 |
| New Mexico | $46,500 | $37,620 to $46,500 | 120 |
| New York | $55,470 | $50,660 to $61,960 | 580 |
| North Carolina | $48,640 | $46,380 to $56,750 | 130 |
| Ohio | $57,060 | $48,060 to $66,050 | 230 |
| Oklahoma | $47,240 | $41,560 to $49,260 | 50 |
| Oregon | $50,590 | $45,980 to $57,530 | 820 |
| Pennsylvania | $48,060 | $40,440 to $57,490 | 590 |
| Puerto Rico | $36,050 | $28,150 to $36,360 | 50 |
| South Carolina | $39,480 | $36,280 to $51,940 | 40 |
| South Dakota | $48,760 | $41,190 to $52,750 | 100 |
| Texas | $47,760 | $40,040 to $57,120 | 900 |
| Utah | $45,110 | $41,240 to $50,270 | 80 |
| Vermont | $60,980 | $49,360 to $61,000 | 50 |
| Virginia | $65,360 | $60,490 to $72,950 | 150 |
| Washington | $62,070 | $48,740 to $79,850 | 660 |
| Wisconsin | $55,690 | $47,090 to $61,320 | 540 |
Nationally: $52,130. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 7 of its 16 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Taste or smell foods or beverages to ensure that flavors meet specifications or to select samples with specific characteristics. | Not published |
| AI + software | Maintain records of testing results or other documents as required by state or other governing agencies. | Not published |
| Not much | Monitor and control temperature of products. | Not published |
| AI + software | Analyze test results to classify products or compare results with standard tables. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Conduct standardized tests on food, beverages, additives, or preservatives to ensure compliance with standards and regulations regarding factors such as color, texture, or nutrients. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform regular maintenance of laboratory equipment by inspecting, calibrating, cleaning, or sterilizing. | Not published |
See all 16 tasks
| AI + software | Record or compile test results or prepare graphs, charts, or reports. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Train newly hired laboratory personnel. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine chemical or biological samples to identify cell structures or to locate bacteria or extraneous material, using a microscope. | Not published |
| AI alone | Provide assistance to food scientists or technologists in research and development, production technology, or quality control. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure, test, or weigh bottles, cans, or other containers to ensure that hardness, strength, or dimensions meet specifications. | Not published |
| AI alone | Order supplies needed to maintain inventories in laboratories or in storage facilities of food or beverage processing plants. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise other food science technicians. | Not published |
| AI + software | Compute moisture or salt content, percentages of ingredients, formulas, or other product factors, using mathematical and chemical procedures. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Mix, blend, or cultivate ingredients to make reagents or to manufacture food or beverage products. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare or incubate slides with cell cultures. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 3 of the 16 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 16 tasks fall under 13 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #27 Research technology designs or applications
- #45 Research biological or ecological phenomena
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analyze biological or chemical substances or related data | |||
| Test characteristics of materials or products | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Prepare specimens or materials for testing | |||
| Research technology designs or applications | |||
| Research biological or ecological phenomena | |||
| Maintain electronic, computer, or other technical equipment | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment |
Show all 13 activities
| Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects | |||
| Evaluate production inputs or outputs | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Direct scientific or technical activities | |||
| Supervise personnel activities |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Data or a spreadsheet21%
- A document or report20%
- An explanation or answer19%
- A chart or visualization8%
- An analysis or summary7%
How they worked with Claude
29% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for food science technicians specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 4,331 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 2 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 4%
- 3 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 4%
- 4 Teachers and Instructors, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education High -0.4% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 4,094 moves in
- 1 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 5%
- 2 Food Service Managers Moderate +5.8% 3%
- 3 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education High -0.4% 3%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Sales Managers High +4.5% 3%
The resume data uses 2010 occupation codes. This occupation comes from “Agricultural and Food Science Technicians”, which today also includes “Agricultural Technicians”, so these figures cover it too. Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 1% less than high school
- 16% high school
- 12% some college
- 23% associate's
- 32% bachelor's
- 13% master's
- 1% research doctorate
- 1% post-doctoral training
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 21 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 3% less than high school
- 16% high school
- 22% some college
- 11% associate's
- 31% bachelor's
- 11% master's
- 1% professional degree
- 7% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other life, physical, and social science technicians” · 3,263 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other life, physical, and social science technicians”
10 programs, such as Agricultural and Food Products Processing, Food Science and Food Technology and Processing.
See all
- Agricultural and Food Products Processing
- Food Science
- Food Technology and Processing
- Brewing Science
- Zymology/Fermentation Science
- Food Science and Technology, Other
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Biochemistry
- Microbiology, General
- Chemistry, General
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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